VN.0098TD Nghe thuat Xoe Thai

Geographical location

Xòe is practiced in villages of the Tai people in four provinces: Yên Bái, Lai Châu, Sơn La and Điện Biên. These provinces include the following districts/towns/cities: Văn Chấn, Mù Cang Chải, Trạm Tấu, and Nghĩa Lộ town in Yên Bái; Mường Ảng, Điện Biên, Mường Chà, Tủa Chùa, Điện Biên Đông, Tuần Giáo, Mường Nhé, Nậm Pồ, Mường Lay town, and Điện Biên Phủ city in Điện Biên; Mộc Châu, Tam Đường, Sìn Hồ, Nậm Nhùn, Mường Tè, Phong Thổ, Tân Uyên, Than Uyên, and  Lai Châu city in Lai Châu; and Thuận Châu, Yên Châu, Sốp Cộp, Vân Hồ, Mường La, Sông Mã, Quỳnh Nhai, Mai Sơn, Bắc Yên, Phù Yên, Sơn La city in Sơn La. Centers for Xòe Dance are in Mường Lò (Yên Bái), Mường Lay and Điện Biên Phủ city (Điện Biên), Mường So (Lai Châu), and Thuận Châu (Sơn La).

Performance time and context: Xòe dance is often performed at any time and context such as  in rituals of Kin Pang Then, Hết Chá, Xên Lẩu Nó, parties, weddings, new house celebrations, festivals, in the cultural events of the community, and during the ethnic cultural week in the Northwestern region. According to the inventory data by the Viet Nam National Institute of Culture and Arts in 2018 on the performance time and context of Xòe dance, among the respondents  94.9% of the community members said that they regularly dance during a wedding ceremony or to celebrate the construction of a new house; 86.2% regularly dance during a feast on holidays organized by the government; 70.4% dance Xòe during traditional festivals; 63.6% said that the dance is organized as a mass activity at other festivals; 60.2% said it is organized according to the daily schedule of the clubs and arts teams (60.2%); and 54.1% said it was performed during holidays. Fewer interviewees reported Xòe  being performed during religious rituals (12.4%), with only 8.4% reporting that it was regularly danced during such rituals. Even more rare was the performance of Xòe  during funeral ceremonies, with only three villages in Vân Hồ district, Sơn La province, and two villages in Nghĩa Lộ town (Yên Bái province) still practicing it during such occasions

1. The bearers and practitioners of the element

The custodians of Xòe Dance are the Tai community members (which include Black Tai and White Tai - distinguished by their different costume colors), who mostly live in the provinces of northwestern Viet Nam (Yên Bái, Lai Châu, Sơn La and Điện Biên provinces), as well as being scattered across the provinces of Hòa Bình, Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An. The people who practice the Xòe are Tai residents, regardless of their gender, age, occupation or working status, that are available to participate in Xòe activities.

The participants in the Tai Xòe, however, generally do not distinguish between age, occupation, political statues, gender, social status, or religious beliefs. With the Xòe is held by Then shaman masters, the participants are mainly people suffering illness or are experiencing trouble, and who join the Xoe to thank the gods, or who take in the rituals to pray to the gods for a peaceful life, propensity and good health.

1. Element Identification

"Xòe" means dancing with movements that symbolize human activities in ritual, culture, life and work. Xòe is performed at rituals, weddings, village festivals and community events.

There are three main types of Xòe: ritual Xòe, circle Xòe, and presentational Xòe. Rituals Xòe and presentational Xòe  are named after props used during particular dances, such as scarf Xòe, conical hat  Xòe, fan Xòe, bamboo pole Xòe, music Xòe, stick Xòe, and flower Xòe. The most popular form is circle Xòe, wherein dancers form a circle in harmony with each other.

The basic dance movements of Xòe include raising the hands up, opening the hands, lowering the hands, clasping the hands of the next person following rhythmic footsteps, slightly arching the chest and leaning backwards. The musical instruments of gourd lute (tính tẩu), shawm (kèn loa), mouth organ (khèn bè), drum, gong, cymbals, reed flute (pí pặp), bamboo-tube percussion (bẳng bu) and small round-shaped rattle are used to accompany dance, which follows rhythms in even meters (either 2/4 or 4/4). The typical melodies played on the instruments use the following intervals: major second, major and minor third, perfect fourth and perfect fifth. Dance movements, though simple, symbolize wishes for community members to have a good life and live in solidarity.

Gentle dance moves blend with instrumental music, vocals, tight-fitting blouses, the jingling of silver jewelry hanging around the waists of Tai women and creates an art form imbued with the cultural identity of the Tai in the northwestern region of Viet Nam.

Inventory Report: VN.0098TD Nghe thuat Xoe Thai

INVENTORY REPORT OF THE ART OF XÒE DANCE

 OF THE TAI PEOPLE IN VIET NAM

(Provinces of Yên Bái, Lai Châu, Sơn La and Điện Biên)

 

I. Time for Inventory Work

a. In Yên Bái province:

           + Stage 1: From December 25 to December 30, 2017

           + Stage 2: From April 15 to April 21, 2018.

b. In Điện Biên province:

+ Stage 1: From September 20 to October 3, 2018

           + Stage 2: From October 17 to October 30, 2018.

c. In Lai Châu province:

+ Stage 1: From January 5 to January 10, 2018

+ Stage 2: From March 15 to March 22, 2018.

d. In Sơn La province:

+ Stage 1: From March 20 to March 23, 2018

+ Stage 2: From April 1 to April 10, 2018.

II. Purpose of the Inventory

- Surveying and assessing the art of Xòe Dance in the residential areas of Tai communities in the provinces of Yên Bái, Lai Châu, Sơn La and Điện Biên - the localities considered one of the geographical areas that the Xòe dance has came from and circulated and existed for many hundred years.

- Initially, systematically the team researcher collect data provided by the communities that demonstrate the current state of facilities as well as cultural activities, in which the focus is on the dance activities, in the villages/residential areas and art performance troupes (that have been founded by the authorities or the commune and district cultural management agencies of the provinces). There is a plan to continue collecting, studying, conserving and exploiting the value of intangible cultural heritage of Tai people in general and the Xòe dance activities in particular (as conducted at ddifferent levels from many years).

- Collect data according to UNESCO’s criteria are to serve the building of the dossier submitted to UNESCO for inscription of "The Art of Xòe Dance of the Tai People in Viet Nam" on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanities.

III. The Localities of the Inventorying Work

The determination of cultural space, cultural and administrative areas to conduct an inventory of the Art of Xòe Dance is first set up which is based on the three sources as followings:

- Firstly, the inventory is based on the surveyed sources, and through collection works and articles directly related to the Xòe Dance by collectors, local studies and researches that have been published - typically such works by Lò Văn Sơi, Hoàng Ngọc Xíu, Lò Văn Biến (with annexes attached) and researchers Đặng Nghiêm Vạn and Lã Văn Lô, Cầm Trọng, Tô Ngọc Thanh, Đỗ Thị Tấc ... After that, they can contribute to identify the scope of human-cultural and social-space in the administrative area, where exist the Art of Xòe Dance activities in the provinces of Northwestern region from past to present.

- Secondly, the inventory is based on existing sources of Xòe Dance in the districts / towns of the provinces (officials of the Department of Cultural Heritage Management, Cultural Centers under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) that help building a candidate file for the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016).

- Thirdly, through the field survey materials of the research teams of Việt Nam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies conducted from the end of 2017 in the districts and towns of Yên Bái, Lai Châu and Sơn La and Điện Biên provinces and anthropological survey and research materials of the research teams implementing this inventory project from the end of 2017 to the middle of 2018.

  The determination of villages/and residential areas where Xòe dance is performed is set according to some criteria as follows:

- Firstly, this must first and foremost be the place where Xòe dance is performed, be recognized or exchanged by the neighboring villages / hamlets in the process of practicing of this element.

- Secondly, in villages / hamlets / residential areas where there is practice of the Xòe dance, there must be at least 10 or more people (enough human resources to performance Xòe dance and play musical instruments), knowledgeable and proficient in how to practice Xòe Dance.

- Thirdly, the performance troupes and the dance teams in the same village /residential area belong to the same village / residence areas counted as an independent cultural unit if established on the population of 500 people or more in the locality.

In general, the villages / hamlets / villages that the inventory is conducted are all located in areas with interactive natural conditions mainly in the districts / towns with concentrated Tai population density, less interwoven with other ethnic groups, has a cultural history for hundreds of years and has a process of safeguarding and promotion of sustainable traditional cultural activities.

IV. Methods

The method used to collect information includes questionnaires, in-depth interviews, recording, taking note through group discussions, historical and statistical retrospective, and from the viewpoint of respecting community voices about their cultural heritage. Combining the use of interdisciplinary approaches (books, text study, museumology, sociology) in analyzing and comparing sources of data to identify objects of inventory

Inventory and consensus activities of the community on Xòe dance in the provinces of Yên Bái, Lai Châu, Sơn La and Điện Biên basically consist of two main activities: carrying out the quantitative inventory on the current action on the Xòe dance heritage in the four provinces (according to the survey of the questionnaire), in combination with in-depth interviews with a number of informants that represent the local community and the consenting activities of the community on establishing the file of Xòe dance and submitting to UNESCO to inscribe on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The surveyed area at the time of conducting the training workshop on conducting inventory and consensus (2018) was implemented within: 4 districts in Yên Bái province (Nghĩa Lộ town, Văn Chấn districts, Station Mù Căng Chải); 5 districts of Lai Châu province (Phong Thổ, Nậm Nhùm, Mường Tè, Sìn Hồ and Than Uyên districts); 6 districts in Sơn La province (Sơn La city and Thuận Châu, Mai Sơn, Yên Châu, (Black Tai), Mộc Châu, Qùynh Nhai and Phù Yên districts (white Tai), 9 districts and towns are located in Điện Biên province (Điện Biên city, Điện Biên, Điện Biên Đông, Mường Lay, Tủa Chùa, Mường Nhé, Tuần Giáo, Mường Chà and Mường Ảng districts).

 The process of conducting surveys and identifying and selecting areas for inventory and research of secondary documents, the research groups have acquired and inherited the results of the prior required fieldwork (through the researches of scholars on Xoe Dance, records of the National Museum of intangible Cultural Heritage which have been implemented by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2013 - 2014 to submit to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to inscribe the Art of Xoè Dance on the List of national intangible cultural heritage.

For the inventory component, within the limits of manpower, time and budget, the groups conducting inventory in the four provinces have developed 02 cumulative forms including the Inventory Form for villages of the Tai people and Inventory form for main practitioners, knowledgeable people about Tai art (See Appendix). In fact, the direct inventory activities in the districts of the above districts showed that the above two forms after collecting can support the addition of quantitative and qualitative data (from open questions) to each other. The qualitative data of this component is aggregated using the total number of Inventory votes for Tai villages to stop at a representative number, focusing on the areas with the highest density of Tai people residing or for urban areas and remote areas, flexible inventory decisions are made by groups. The data from the inventory forms for Xòe Dace provide more professional information derived from the feedback of main practitioners, who hold all knowledge of Tai dance heritage for many years.

For the consent letter, the team have conducted consultation meetings in respective inventory areas, with the participation of representative practitioners, cultural managers, and related people of districts. The written consent letters of the community, in addition to Vietnamese, also prioritizes documents written in Tai (although the number of people who know Tai is too small). At the meetings, the inventory teams invited the intangible cultural heritage expert to share ideas to enhance community understanding and awareness of the meaning of the nomination process.

V. Some Advantages of the Inventorying Work

- During the inventory process, the local government and district cultural management and the village heads, heads of performance troupes have supported the team, creating favorable conditions to meet all requirements of inventory work. In particular, the heads of the performance troupes, party secretaries, and cultural cadres of the villages / areas in most communes have directly participated in organizing discussion groups in the locality. The community representatives actively engage in the discussion and provide information for the inventory.

- All residents (especially seniors, members of the performance troupes) directly or indirectly participate in the work of providing information in most villages/ residential areas and they have a consent with the need to safeguard and transmit the practice of the Xoè heritage. Some seniors including those who are honored as main practitioners have provided precious materials collected, compiled by individuals, as good references for the questionnaires

- The direction of the leaders of the districts / towns, the participation of the local cadres and human resources of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the 4 provinces and especially the staff of Culture and Information Departments in districts and towns during the time of carrying out the inventory contribute to ensuring the inventory implementation in accordance with schedule and requirements

- The process of carrying out the inventory has received the attention and enthusiastic collaboration of the representatives of villages / hamlets that contributes to the effective and decisive inventory of Xòe heritage in districts and towns. All these advantages created favorable conditions for the process of inventory, and help raising awareness for members of the community in actively participating in the inventory work

VI. Some Difficulties of the Inventory Work

- On the path of development of social history and changes of natural geographical strata, of various stages of administrative organization, many places have been changed. Having transformed into towns and cities, they have been replaced by modern languages and people who are truly knowledgeable about the Xòe dance heritage no longer exist or main practitioners lack of concern for heritage transmission. The young people are not systematically and sustainably taught how to practice the Xoè dance. The continuation of traditional cultural activities between generations was interrupted by war and historical and social conditions.

- In the process of conducting surveys in the localities, we found that many forms of religious activities related to the Xoè dance have disappeared. The number of practitioners who are knowledgeable about traditional religious activities is too small. That fact is also the cause of ignorance about the living heritage for the current generation of young people.

- Over the past decade (since 1996), in most residential areas of towns, towns and cities, the whole villages or villages / hamlets with Tai language have been divided into residential areas, numbered as residential zone (zone 1, zone 2, zone 3,...). In fact, it has led to a situation of natural gradual eradication of the traditional name of a series of villages, self-nomenclature which has followed hundreds of years of population, deeply embedded in human cultural sub-consciousness, associated with traditional cultural values. In addition, there are villages, which are large, densely populated areas, which have been divided into many residential areas by the government, which makes it easy to create a cracking of the village culture - the unit of the same regulations in customary laws, customs and practices of the previous generations

- In the process of mobilization and development of economic and cultural and social life, many villages (mainly in towns, towns and cities) have been affected by the changing environment and livelihood with the impact of modernity, leading to the change of cultural living environment and ethnic cultural maker. The younger generation is more passionate about modern art than practicing his father's traditional forms of arts. And so, that situation also has a profound impact on the existential cultural space of the heritage.

- In almost all inventory areas, the number of people who can read and write Tai words is too small. Many women of middle age and older do not know how to write and read common words (the Vietnamese language), leading to limited reading and filling out the survey forms.

- In some areas at the commune level, the management staff and leaders are mostly young, the capacity to understand traditional ethnic culture is limited or weak. They do not meet the requirements of cultural management and cooperation with the community members in collecting, researching and preserving the local heritage. Many officials are the Viet people are not fluent in Tai language, and they do not understand about the value of Tai cultural heritage, that leads to certain limitations in the management of local ethnic cultural life.

- Due to the time taken to carry out the inventory - the investigation is limited, the budget is limited, it must be done in the area too wide, complicated in terms of terrain and the number of professional staff who has limited work should be trained. This partly affects the results of inventory, research, especially the evaluation of the manifestations of heritage characteristics and the system of ancient languages ​​or dialects, associated with Xòe dance in particular and community culture of the Tai people in general.

VII. Overview of the Tai people in Viet Nam

1. The Tai People in Viet Nam

So far, Quắm tố mường (Story of the Mường Village) and Táy Pú sấc (The Father's Step of the War) are two historical texts of handwritten texts and probably the oldest about the Tai people, written in Tai ancient letters (that are archived at Sơn La Provincial Museum), and is also considered two chronicles of the Black Tai, which recorded the great heavenly movement of the land of the first generation of Tai people to come from the north to Mường Lò, then from there to many parts of Northwestern Viet Nam and some Southeast Asian countries. Through this epic version, we can recognize that in the early 11^th century, the Black Tai group from the region between the Nậm U river and the Red river led by Tạo Xuông and Tạo Ngần brothers came to Viet Nam, "... parts of the Black Tai people from Mường Om, Mường Ai, upstream of the first Mekong River migrate to the south, exploiting Mường Lò field (the center is Nghĩa Lộ town today). In the next two generations, Lạng Chương led his tribe to occupy Sơn La, Điện Biên and Lai Châu areas. This heavenly movement lasted for hundreds of years because of the resistance of the local tribes, especially the Xá Khao clan” (Đặng Nghiêm Vạn 1977, p. 49-154).

According to ethnographers Lã Văn Lô and Đặng Nghiêm Vạn: "After occupying the Northwest, a part of the Black Tai people poured into the Ma river basin, through Laos to Thanh - Nghe..." (Lã Văn Lô and Đặng Nghiêm Vạn 1968, p. 153). It is no coincidence that the Tai Black people in Việt Nam and in some countries (Laos, Thailand, etc.) have been considering Mường Lò for a long time (belonging to Văn Chấn and Nghĩa Lộ towns today) as their Father’s land. Their ancestors, they call Mường Lò "Đin pẩu pú" or "Đin pẩu pú", which means the ancestral land of the Black Tai people, considered Tạo Xuông, Tạo Ngần as their ancestor; even, the Black Tai in Thailand also solemnly printed the source of its ancestors from Mường Lò in Viet Nam land to hang in the house in order to remind children to remember the land of their ancestors, at the same time annually organize pilgrimage for descendants to Mường Lò (Nghĩa Lộ and Văn Chấn districts) in Yên Bái province to visit the fatherland of the ancestral land.

In recent decades, the research achievements of the Tai study have shared the historical identities of the process of forming the Tai people in Viet Nam, as well as the cultural and historical sources of the Tai people in general. At the same time, it was affirmed that the Tai people in northwestern Viet Nam were the result of a strong diaspora in the Northwest around the beginning of the second millennium AD. As Đặng Nghiêm Vạn had stated: "It is the huge movement of the Tai ancestors into Indochina. It is a great historical development, upsetting the whole situation of the distribution of Northwestern Viet Nam as well as on the Indochina...” (Đặng Nghiêm Vạn 2001, p.403). Tai people in Yên Bái province make up about 53,104 people (according to the 2009 Census data), belonging to two groups: White Tai and Black Tai. Particularly, Mường Lò (including Văn Chấn district and Nghĩa Lộ town) make up about 90% of the total Tai people in Yên Bái, a few remain in Trạm Tấu district and Mù Cang Chải district.

Tai people in Lai Châu province make up about 131,822 people who are mainly White Tai, accounting for 34% of the provincial population (403,200 people with 20 ethnic groups - according to the statistics in November 2011), residing in almost all districts. The highest concentration is in Phong Thổ and Than Uyên districts.

Tai people in Sơn La have about 572,441 people - mainly Black Tai, accounting for 53.2% of the provincial population (about 1,080,641 people, with 12 ethnic groups - according to the April 2009 survey number), residing in almost 11 districts, concentrated in Mai Châu and Quỳnh Nhai districts.

Tai people in Điện Biên province have about 186,270 people, accounting for 38.4% of the provincial population (about 557,400 people with 19 ethnic groups - according to 2016 survey data), residing in almost all districts and towns in Mường Lay and Điện Biên cities.

The Tai (Black Tai and White Tai) carry many different families: Bạc, Bế, Bua, Bum, Cà (Hà, Kha, Mài, Sa), Cầm, Chẩu, Chiêu, Đèo, Điều, Điêu, Hà, Hoàng, Khằm, Leo, Lèo, Lềm, (Lâm, Lịm) Lý, Lò, (Lô, La), Lộc (Lục), Lự, Lường, (Lương), Manh, Mè, Nam, Nông, Ngần, Ngưu, Nho, Nhật, Panh, Pha, Phia, phìa, Quàng (Hoàng, Vàng), Quảng, Sầm, Tạ, Tày, Tao (Đào), Tạo, Tòng (Toòng), Vang, Vi (Vì) Xa (Sa), Xin.

2. Residential Space

According to the research of scientists about the migration of Tai people in Northwest Viet Nam, about Tai people in Northwest Việt Nam..., especially through the two Tai Black epics: Quắm tố mương” and “Táy pú xấc”, in the 11^th -12^th century, the Black Tai branch of Tạo Xuông and Tạo Ngần led the migration from Mường Ôm, Mường Ai (upstream of the Mê Kông River in the current Xishuanbanna) to Mường Lò region. The delegation first set foot in Mường Min (now Gia Hội commune, Văn Chấn district, Yên Bái province) and then went into Mường Lò basin. At that time, Mường Lò was a vast and deserted land. Tai ancestors stopped there to live and jointly explore the fields for cultivation 

 Literature texts and oral folk stories state that when Tai people appeared in Mường Lò, this basin was divided into three areas: Mường Lò Luông (i.e. Mường Lò is a central area); Mường Lò Gia referred to as Mường Gia and Mường Lò Cha for short as Mường Cha. Therefore, Mường Lò is also called Mường Xam Lò (Mường Ba Lò). In the history of Tai people, Mường Lò is the birthplace of Lò Lạng Chượng, who later led Tai people to conquer new lands: Đà river, Mã river and deeply penetrate to the regions. The land in the Northwest region ended with the construction of a central hall in Mường Thanh field (Điện Biên Phủ city today), turning this place into a place to attract Tai people from many regions to reside.

3. Characteristics of Ethnic Culture

Tai language belongs to the Tày - Tai language group and belongs to the South Asian language line. The word Tai appeared a long time - when Lò Lạng Chượng proclaimed Lord of the Mường, opened and exploited Mường Lò, established the Tai society, planned customary law ... then in Mo Mường epic recorded in ancient Tai this incident in the Tai old script on bamboo, paper, or bark. Today, in Mường Lò and in other localities, very few people know how to write and read the Tai ancient words.

The Tai community is concentrated in the Mường village in the valleys, not far away from each other, adapting to the school of cultivation of wet rice, cotton, and brocade weaving. Thanks in part to the tradition of wet rice civilization of the Tai people, which has a famous field of Mường Lò (Yên Bái), Tú Lệ or Mường Than (Lai Châu), Mường Tấc (Sơn La), Mường Thanh (Điện Biên) before. Wet rice is the main food source, especially the Tai people use a lot of sticky rice. Tai people have a lot of experience in building water dams, creating ditches, building up canals to bring water into the fields. Part of the income is due to livestock and aquaculture. Rice fish is an element of Tay - Tai culture. The traditional handicraft of the Tai people is to make cotton padding, brocade fabric with patterns, vibrant color and good quality.

The traditional economy of the Tai people is generally a farming and livestock economy. With favorable natural conditions around the year, the climate is favorable and combined with traditional cultivation techniques (the Tai people are famous for cultivation techniques such as "leading to water canals" by ditch system - phai - lái - lín, in which the water wheel is a great invention of the Tai people in taking advantage of the water itself to bring water from low to high, by the method "Fire-Cultivation-Hydroponic" - (burning straw Rice husk, plowing for agricultural cultivation) along with cultivation, animal husbandry is also strongly developed in almost every family, such as buffaloes, cows, goats, horses. Besides cattle, poultry and water products is the main food source that is raised to improve daily meals - especially during holidays, rituals and festivals. The main source of food for the compatriots has been brought to life, and today, the fishing profession is still quite popular among Tai people residing near rivers and streams with many skilled fishing techniques.

The Tai people in most villages are interested in developing many traditional handicrafts (typically cotton, weaving), first of all to serve the consumption needs of the family, then use to exchange goods with other peoples.

The Tai people in most villages live stilts houses. In the house, it is worth noting that the column - the place where the altar for the dead or ancestor is placed. This place is the only man who can enter. Tai stilt houses were previously mainly used by pine trees and pine boards, today under development, roofing materials have gradually been replaced by new materials such as tile, and cement and iron.

The Tai families often have 3 to 4 generations to live together in harmony. Today each family usually has from 1 to 3 generations, large families "four generations" no longer exist. The Tai family is highly persistent, the couple live faithfully, are less contradicted by the values ​​in the family tradition that are regulated and adjusted by strict customary laws. The custom of the husbands staying in the wives’ families is still popular, until the young couple have children to return to their husbands' houses. The wedding ceremony was prepared for many months ago, the groom's family took care of the offerings and asked, the bride's family took care of 3 sets of blankets and pillows to go home to the groom on the wedding day. There are enough blankets, cushions and pillows for parents-in-law. When the black Tai girl is not married, the chignon is leaned back, when she is married, the hair is straightened up, called a tằng cẩu. The crane ceremony is very sacred and moving as soon as the bride comes to her husband's house. Believe the tradition of the Tai people in Mường Lò (Nghĩa Lộ, Văn Chấn, Yên Bái province), Mường So (Phong Thổ, Lai Châu province), Mường Lay (Điện Biên province) is very rich and diverse.

In addition to worshiping ancestors (phi hươn), the Tai people also worship other gods such as worshiping the gods of the Mường, the field of rice fields, worshiping the Then gods of the families with the masters.

The Tai people have a rich treasure of folk art. Folk songs, folk dance, folk cultural activities are held regularly in daily life of people. "Khắp", "Then" is performed in Spring festivals, singing to lovers, at weddings, and funerals.

The Tai people have traditional musical instruments that are still circulated like mouth organ (khèn bè) and 7 kinds of Pí (flute) are very special like "Pí Tót" is a type of flute with only one hole, "Pí Pặp" is the flute used to call each other confided, "Pi Rạ" used straw to blow, etc.

Talking about the cultural activities of the Tai people in the northwestern provinces generally refers to summer festivals, games and folk dance, which highlights the Xòe dance - a intangible cultural heritage. For the Tai people, the festival of the year is very diverse and characterized by the Tai culture. Folk festival is an essential part of the cultural and religious activities of the Tai people, with a cycle of one year, the people have many big festivals with village community characteristics such as: Xên Bản festival, Xên Mường, Xên Đông, Rain Fesstival, Harvest Festival, Xên Lẩu Nó, so on and in the family there are rituals for worshiping "tám khuôn", rituals for "tám tế na", “tám khuôn quai” and other rituals related to ancestor worship and family rituals. The celebration of "Síp xí" at the fifteen day of July is one of the biggest festivals of people Tai. A series of festivals extends from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from the festival to welcome the Spring, the hunting and the fishing activities. At any kind of festival, it is indispensable to have the Xòe dance that attracts people.

Tai folk literature is quite rich, lively and attractive. In addition to the famous love songs such as "Sóng trụ xôn xao" (Admonishing the Lover), Tản chụ siết sương... the history books, the history in Tai such as: Quắm Tố Mương (story of the Mường), Cầm Hánh Tạp sấc Klơng (Cầm Hánh fought against the enemy with the yellow flags)... recorded for the generation of births to know about the history of the huge immigration and cultural traditions of Tai people.

 Stream bathing is a long-standing practice of Tai people especially for women and girls. In Yên Bái, the places of Nung springs and hot springs in Sơn A, Tú Lệ is the place where cultural activities take place, creating a basis for the development of community tourism (homestay).

Tai people are one of the ethnic groups considered to be quite sophisticated in dressing, even from a young age, the girls were instructed by their mothers to tie up "Xài ẻo" to grow up with the "Eo kíu Meng Po" body - (bottoming out arched back). Before taking part in the fun outside the dress, the Black Tai women also paid attention to "Tằng Cẩu" and wrist rings, rafters (silver wire). The ceremony for the day of "Tằng cẩu" is held quite elaborately, solemnly in most of the Black Tai’s villages. Black Tai girls pay attention to Piêu scarfs. White Tai girls are concerned about face shades, hair, and "mắc pém" on their chests. Men are simpler, they are less interested in costumes, less involved in the dance of the group or other games that catch fish from streams and traps of birds.

   Culinary activities of Tai people are also quite sophisticated in the way of processing, arranging, using spices and ingredients, spices that follow that dish. Tai dishes are often processed quite meticulously with processing techniques, so as not to lose the typical flavor of the dish. There are many types of Tai processing such as grilled, blue, sticky, baked, steamed, boiled, dried, fried, and raw. Fish dish is quite popular food in the daily activities of the people in which the grilled fish "Pa Pỉnh tộp" is a famous traditional specialty of Tai people.

Tai people (especially Tai people residing in big Mường region like Mường Lò, Mường Thanh, Mường So, Mường Lay are always proud of their ethnic history, with a tradition of heroic and proud struggle, is an agricultural resident with a long-standing wet rice civilization. Associated with the destiny of the nation over the course of building the country and keeping the country for hundreds of years, Tai people always united with the peoples of the country to rise up to eradicate hunger and reduce poverty, contributing to making their localities more prosperous.

VIII. Results of the inventory

The survey collected many types of data, which can be divided into two main categories: quantitative data (collected using quantitative methods, such as questionnaires to gather statistics from private individuals) and qualitative information (collected using retrospective and ethnographic methods).

Information was collected on: 1/ The name of the element and identification of the Xòe activity; 2/ Activities of Xòe art in contemporary society; 3/ Basic characteristics of Xòe art activities; 4/ The transmission of the Xòe element; and, 5/ Issues in the process of safeguarding and exploiting the cultural values ​​of the current and historical art of Xòe Dance of the Tai people.

1. Name of the heritage and identification of the Xòe Tai activity

1.1. Heritage name

The heritage is called different names by the different communities and performance troupes that perform the dance. The different names for the heritage are as follows:

-  Múa Xòe (Xòe Dance)

-  Xòe Tai (Xòe of the Tai People)

-  Xe

-  Mố

-  Nghệ thuật múa Xòe (The Art of Xòe Dance)

-  Xòe

Of the names mentioned above, the three most common names used are Xòe Tai (Xòe of the Tai People), Xòe and Xe. One of the main practitioners of the dance, Lò Văn Biến (86 years old from Nghĩa Lộ town), said: From 1945 onwards, Tai people in general referred to the different forms of their singing and dancing as “Xe” (which in the Tai language means “dance”). The Black Tai people historically pronounced the dance as “Xòe”, but almost no Tai people have called it by this ancient name in recent decades. According to Lò Văn Biến, the most commonly used name of this heritage is “Xòe Dance of the Tai People”, probably because the majority of the population are already familiar with the term as it is the most commonly used name in mass media (television, radio, and publications and books on the ethnic culture of the Tai people).

1.2. Identification of the Art of Xòe Dance of the Tai People

1.2.1. The process of birth and existence

As mentioned previously, during the process of immigrating to and conquering new lands from the North to the South of Viet Nam, and in settling in the Northwest region of the country, the Tai people brought with them their myths and stories, fairy tales, folk songs, beautiful brocade patterns, embroidery on pillows and clothes, Piêu scarfs, and the Xòe dance. Over centuries, the Tai people have constantly developed and built their own ethnic culture, including a rich, diversified and very famous tradition in Xòe folk art. According to the ethnographer, Cầm Trọng: “Once upon a time, when the Tai armies marched, their leaders wore a red robe, and at the foot of the skirt, there was a line of decorative patterns in vibrant colors. The army was very knowledgeable about the sword and the shield... from then on gradually a dance appeared called "Xé lảng, xé pén" - sword dancing, shield dancing (Cầm Trọng, 1978). Xishuanbanna prefecture (Yunnan, China) is considered the original homeland of the Tai people, where their dances, bare hands or holding shields, holding swords, holding sticks, are the most popular among the 22 different kinds performed in 12 Tai villages.

Thus, before coming to Viet Nam with the postures and movements of war, Tai people created similar dances, or simulated hunting and gathering activities, or efforts to cope with storms, flood and beasts to both protect themselves and earn a living... It is from the clapping of hands around the fire, the roar of the forest every time there is joy or danger or when it is necessary to increase the vitality of the people, the Tai people have created the Xòe dancing movements with labor tools and activities, such as hats, sticks, towels, fans, gourd guitars, and so on.

In considering the birth of the dance, folklore researcher, Đỗ Thị Tấc, stated that Xòe was first linked with religious activities. Xòe is a dance that contributes to expressing Tai conceptions of the universe and about human life, through the ritual activities of priests and the participants of the main practice, who are the sick or those who have faith in the gods. The religious Xòe dance performed during Then rituals is the most concentrated expression of the dance form (Kin Pang Then Festival), with the dance movements depicting the making of offerings, praying to the gods, and inviting souls to return to the sick people. Accompanied by the dance movements are the lyrics that reflect human life and points of views about the universe and people.

People from Mường Lò district and Nghĩa Lộ town, and the surrounding area, often call their dance art old Xòe. A number of senior practitioners (75-85 years old) currently living in Văn Chấn district and Nghĩa Lộ town still call the Xòe dance form of their ethnicity Xe cáu Ké (old Xòe). The younger generation generally also call it old Xòe. The practitioner Lò Văn Biến said: “Calling Xé cáu ké or old Xòe because you do not know who named it, only know that the old Xòe comes from your grandfather, grandmother, ancestors, and that during all the gatherings, there is never a lack of the performance of the old Xòe. In the old days, during holidays, festivals and festive days, working days or after a hard harvest season, after building a house, or making the kitchen roof, Xòe performance were held. Xòe was so active and important in community activities. They held each other's hands to encourage, unite and help each other to overcome difficulties in life or share joys, sorrows and the achievements of their labor. Xòe is a strong, attractive dance. It attracts all people to participate, regardless of age, male and female, rich and poor, regardless of social status. The Xòe stimulates production and entertains after hard hours working. During the Xòe, people are brought together in a joyful atmosphere, holding hands to forget all worries and tiredness. Xòe helps to balance life and create excitement among people, who show their compassion to each other more, love life more, and enthusiastically work more productively. Xòe is to get closer to each other and from then on, people have greater love for their village and homeland”.

"Xòe" means dancing with movements that symbolize human activities in ritual, culture, life and work. Xòe is performed at rituals, weddings, village festivals and community events.

There are three main types of Xòe: ritual Xòe, circle Xòe, and presentational Xòe. Rituals Xòe and presentational Xòe are named after props used during particular dances, such as scarf Xòe, conical hat Xòe, fan Xòe, bamboo pole Xòe, music Xòe, stick Xòe, and flower Xòe. The most popular form is circle Xòe, wherein dancers form a circle in harmony with each other.

The basic dance movements of Xòe include raising the hands up, opening the hands, lowering the hands, clasping the hands of the next person following rhythmic footsteps, slightly arching the chest and leaning backwards. The musical instruments of gourd lute (tính tẩu), shawm (kèn loa), mouth organ (khèn bè), drum, gong, cymbals, reed flute (pí pặp), bamboo-tube percussion (bẳng bu) and small round-shaped rattle are used to accompany dance, which follows rhythms in even meters (either 2/4 or 4/4). The typical melodies played on the instruments use the following intervals: major second, major and minor third, perfect fourth and perfect fifth. Dance movements, though simple, symbolize wishes for community members to have a good life and live in solidarity.

Gentle dance moves blend with instrumental music, vocals, tight-fitting blouses, the jingling of silver jewelry hanging around the waists of Tai women and creates an art form imbued with the cultural identity of the Tai in the northwestern region of Viet Nam.

In recent years, the young generation has brought to life new Xòe dance types through many forms and gestures. The rhythm also reflects the new sentimental nuances of contemporary Tai people. From the Xòe dancing of children to elderly people, boys and girls exchange feelings without words, but with a smile in their eyes and clenched fists, leaving a warm hand in the hearts of visitors; the Xòe brings passionate and unforgettable feelings. The movement of the Xòe dance also shows such emotion.

  The present day Xòe movements and types have new gestures due to the variations of the dominant movements inherent in the traditional Xòe dance. The development of the contemporary Xòe dance is based on the traditional Xòe movements showing continuity throughout the generations. Some movements have been modified, and props are used, such as scarfs, fans, hats, and flowers. Each village has a performance troupe, formed under the instruction of the main practitioners in the village, and the troupe performs at cultural events, festivals, and competitions. Nghĩa Lộ town, in particular, currently (2017) has a performance troupe of up to 1,500 people, mobilized from the Xòe troupes in the villages surrounding the town, with the main purpose of performing during the holidays, New Year and large cultural festivals in Yên Bái province, as well as for participating in the Northwest Ethnic Group Festival and Tourism Festival.

1.2.2. Methods and performance contexts

The expression of the Xòe of the Tai people is associated with different types of social activities. Depending on the contexts (certain cultural space), Xòe styles are practiced to suit the living atmosphere and the meaning of the performance’s nature.

Up until now, the Tai people in the villages have mainly practiced six basic Xòe dance styles, which are popular in all cultural activities of the community, as follows:

i. Xòe Khắm khăn mơi lẩu - Raise a scarf to offer wine

The first movement: With both hands dancers lift the scarf to signify the raising of two cups of wine. The shrug of the foot moves one to two steps to the right, to the left, and to the right again, while shrugging down. The hands move gently toward to the two sides. Two rows of both sides come out and move forward.

The second movement: The hands move like in the first movement, moving left to right, in the same direction as the foot, softly shrugging the legs. Now, both rows are making movements; the second row is in place, the first row sits down, and the hands are still in the same position.

The third movement: The arms and legs move the same as in the first movement, while the two rows move, swapping places, up and down.

The fourth movement: The two rows join each other in one horizontal row, with each pair moving towards the center. From their positions in the first movement, each pair of arms and legs move forward, before dancers kneel down and raise their scarves to invite the drinking of wine. After the person is invited to finish drinking, the dancers continue to Xòe, changing places so that other couples can invite the win, continuing in the manner until every couple has invited the drinking of wine by the end of the performance.

ii. Phá xí Xòe - The four directions.

The first movement: Each pair of dancers weave their hands together to the left, then to the right, with their legs stepping to the rhythm of 1-2-3-4. On the fourth rhythm, dancers lay one foot next to the other foot, and raise their hands up at both sides. This movement is repeated multiple times.

The second movement: Four people join together, and intertwine their hands and step their feet as in the first movement, before crossing their hands, placing them close to their body, and turning to continue to Xòe in each of the four directions.

The third movement: Each dancing pair split off one by one like in the first movement, hand in hand, turning around, combining the first movement to turn around to the and left and right.

The fourth movement: Dancers revert back to the first movement until the end of the Xòe performance.

iii. Đổn hôn Xòe Dance - Moving forward and stepping back

The first movement: The scarf is lifted up using two hands, before it is swung to cross both sides of body while the feet step to the rhythm of 1-2-3-4. On the fourth rhythm, dancers draw their legs and place one foot next to the other and shrug gently. The two rows of dancers then come out to form a circle.

The second movement: Facing towards to the circle, each pair of dancers swap their positions, while moving their arms and legs as in the first movement.

The third movement: The dancers continue to move their arms and legs as in the first movement in the circle until to the end of the Xòe performance.

iv. Nhôm khăn Xòe - Tossing scarf

The first movement: Dancers move their feet in single steps, with their scarves around their neck. At the second beat, the footsteps are flexed, the foot is stamped on the side, and the two ends of the scarf are flung upwards, while moving into the circle.

The second movement: Dancers turn to face into the circle, moving their arms and legs in the same manner as in the first movement.

The third movement: Dancers move back and forth to form a smaller circle inside the large circle, moving their arms and legs as in the first movement. Dancers switch positions with each other as the circle moves until the completion of the performance.

v. Ỏm lọm tốp mư Xòe dance- Clap hands in a circle

The first movement: The two rows of dancers come together to create a circle, their legs stepping to the beat of four. With their two hands raised on both sides, the dancers clap their hands on the fourth beat and jump lightly into the air, raising one foot up to 45 degrees.

The second movement: Dancers move in the circle with the arms and legs moving the same as in the first movement.

The third movement: Dancers intersperse into the circle to create a smaller circle inside, continuing to move their arms and legs as in the first movement. Alternately, dancers form two circles (One small circle and one large circle outside the smaller circle) and at the end they completely move out of the circle and Xòe performance ends.

vi. Ỏm lọm khắm khăn Xòe dance - Holding hands in a circle

In this version, dancers line up in a circle holding hands and then the circle of Xòe is gradually expanded. When there are many participants, men and women stand alternately in two or three different circles to dance Xòe. The circles move in opposite directions. The movements of the circles consist of two main steps and two additional steps. The first step is taken backward, then a step up is made with the front foot, then following a light stamping and backing up of the back leg, the front leg pulls back with the feet following the rhythm. Along with the rhythm of the feet, the hands are held tightly together as they are raised and lowered simultaneously with the steps, with the dancers walking and moving back and forth to the rhythms of drum, gongs and gourd guitars. Such movements are repeated multiple times and the circle is gradually expanded as more and more people come to join in the Xòe.

The costumes worn by the Tai people while dancing Xòe in a circle add to the traditional beauty. The Tai women look particularly graceful thanks to the colorful blouses that they wear with silver butterflies, spiders and cicada-shaped buttons... running down the split at the front of the chest, tightly-fitted to the body and combined with a long tubular, deep-colored fabric skirt; the waist tied with green silk strips. Silver barbed wire attached with rattles, butterflies, mites, and fishes worn by Tai women on the waistband of their skirts creates added charm during their performance of the Xòe. When participating in Xòe on feast days, Tai women also wear black dresses, armpits or pullovers, blouses with open chests of butterflies, waist extractions, and puffy shoulders with cloth decorated on the ribs. Black Tai women wears a Piêu scarf, striking with its colorful embroidery patterns, and her hair battered up on top of her head (Tắng Cẩu), signifying her married status (with obligatory, unique and attractive Tắng Cẩu). In relation to the Tai men's costume, their pants are cut in the chân què style, with a waistband that was previously tied with a string (although today, these pants are less popular). Chest-cut blouses are also worn with pockets on both sides, an extra bag on the left breast, plaited buttons with cloth straps, and straight collars with only low legs without a lapel. The most popular clothing color is indigo. Tai men wear long black shirts with split armpits over the top of a white shirt on feast days.

In the past, all Xòe performed in village festivals (xên bản, xên mường…) associated with rituals were presided over by a Mo (shaman master). People participating in Xòe were also considered as "having destiny" to be chosen by Then and Mo (shaman masters) to Xòe. Ritual Xòe signifies the deep gratitude for heaven and earth to the gods - those who created the village, the Mường living area, blessed the villagers with prosperity and happiness, eliminated plagues, ensured good harvests of rice and corn, sufficient rainfall, favorable wind and air, and no natural disasters or epidemics. The ritual Xòe dedicates a devotion to the gods.

1.2.3. Props used in the Xòe dance

 According to Mr. Đinh Văn Cửu, the Xòe of the Tai people has quietly developed. Previously, the Xòe dance mainly focused on scarf dancing. Gradually, due to economic and cultural exchanges among the localities, the people learned to revitalize the traditional songs, practicing more dances. They used objects familiar to the Tai people as props. The names of such props become the name of each type of dance, according to the artistic meaning of the performance content and different cultural values. These are the types of Xòe that have become famous and familiar with most of the village performance teams: Xe cúp (conical hat Xòe), Xe vi (fan Xòe), Xe khăn (scarf Xòe), Xe mák hính (small round-shape iron rattles Xòe), Xe pooc (flower Xòe), Xe mạy (stick Xòe), Xe tính tẩu (gourd guitar Xòe). The dances of each of these instruments is accompanied by teams with the trumpets, gourd guitars, rattles, small and large drums, and bamboo percussion instruments (tăng bẳng).

It is possible to identify the characteristics of the Xòe types that use the following props:

a. Xòe khăn (dance with scarf)

According to the old people, the Tai people used to practice the Xòe activities mainly using a scarf, weaved in a colorful silk pattern. People believe that the scarf is a product of labor, and that it carries with it both material and spiritual values created by the Tai people. Most of the Xòe are associated with the use of a scarf, specifically lifting the wine-tasting scarf (Khắm khăn mơi lẩu), or Xòe Đổn hôn (crossing the scarf with the steps forwards and backwards), or Nhôm khăn style (tossing scarf on the head or to the sides). The Xòe uses a scarf in moving with the body, with the movement of legs, with the postures, angles, facial expressions, and eyes that make up the lines of Xòe with the scarf. Scarves are also used as props in some other Xòe movements. The scarf is considered a respectable item of the people. This is expressed by guests during community cultural activities or on holidays, who often throw and donate scarves to show their friendliness. During interviews, practitioners in the districts of Nậm Nhùn and Phong Thổ (Lai Châu), Mộc Châu (Sơn La), and Nghĩa Lộ (Yên Bái), noted that scarves play important roles in the dance and rituals. When the Xòe takes place in front of a shrine, a shaman master performs a ritual, and his followers gracefully dance, changing their dances according to the different ritual enactments. When the two dancers' arms cross to each side, the scarf symbolizes the paddle used to propel the boat towards the upper Red River to find the homeland. When the scarf is crossed and raised above the head, it symbolizes the ladder that is put up to welcome the souls of the deceased to attend the ceremony with the children and grandchildren. When the scarf is twisted, spinning with the rhythm, it becomes a symbol for the horse-riding whip used to see off the soul of the deceased.

White Tai women, who do not generally wear the Piêu scarf very often, use long silk scarves in their dance, while Black Tai women, who often wear scarves on their heads, use ones with beautiful patterns in their dance.

b. Xòe nón (Conical hat Xòe): The conical hat Xòe dance performed in in Mường Lay district (Điện Biên province) is adapted from the Xòe from Phong Thổ district (Lai Châu province), and includes movements such as taking hats to the sides, shrugging, bringing the hats to the back, tilting the sides of the head, plunging the hats, turning the hats on the head, and sitting against the hat in front of you. It also involves participants creating their own movements, such as lifting hats, tipping heads, lifting hats behind your back, tipping, and turning your hats in front of your chest.

c. Xòe quạt (fan Xòe): There are two styles of fan Xòe, one involving one fan and one using two fans. The one fan dance is often accompanied with a scarf. The dancer holds the Xòe fan in the right hand and the scarf (folded) in the left hand. In two fan dancing, fans are held in both hands in performing the Xòe, demonstrating the grace and flexibility of the performers.

d. Xòe sạp (Stall Xòe): Initially, stall Xòe involved the participation of only a few people because it utilized only two bamboo or other types of poles. Later, more bamboo poles were gradually introduced, so that many people could join the dance. In the present-day dance, two large, straight and long bamboo trees are made into long stalls, while smaller bamboo (about 3-4cm in diameter and 3-4 meters in length) are made into multiple pairs of shorter stalls. During the dance, two stalls are put just far enough apart to guard the ends of the stalls, with stalls placed parallel to each other at a distance of about 30-40cm. The dancers divide themselves into a top floor and a dance group, each of which has a lineup of couples, with more and more couples joining in to make the team richer and livelier.

e. Xòe music (Xòe mák hính) (small round-shaped rattles Xòe): In this version, the dancers wear music rattles (from three to five small iron round-shaped rattles) on the middle finger of most often their right hand, but something also their left. The music is made from the back of the hand. In performing the dance, footsteps are used as in Phong Thổ, Mường Lay to make a fast walk. During the dance, the hands are stacked on top of each other, with the right hand on top of the left. From this posture, the hands shake the rattles to the sides, opening their hands nearly 45 degrees, then the two hands stroke into the beginning posture. In the process of shaking the rattles to make the sound, they mainly use the back of the hand in order to create musical rhythm.

f. Xòe chai (bottle Xòe): Xòe chai is a dance using bottles as props. The bottles are usually kept cleverly balanced on top of the dancers, who combine flexible movements to invite the drinking of wine.

1.2.3. Heritage practice space

Xòe is organized in villages of Tai people in four provinces in northwestern Việt Nam, including Văn Chấn and Mù Căng Chải and Trạm Tấu districts, and Nghĩa Lộ town in Yên Bái province; Phong Thổ, Sìn Hồ, Nậm Nhùn, Tân Uyên, Than Uyên, and Mường Tè and Tam Đường districts, and Lai Châu city in Lai Châu province; Mường La, Thuận Châu, Mai Sơn, Sông Mã, Yên Châu, Sốp Cộp, Bắc Yên, Vân Hồ, Phù Yên, Quỳnh Nhai, Mộc Châu districts, and Sơn La city in Sơn La province; and Điện Biên, Mường Chà, Điện Biên Đông, Tuần Giáo, Mường Ảng, Tủa Chùa, Mường Nhé, Nậm Pồ and Mường Lay districts, and Điện Biên Phủ city in Điện Biên province. Mường Lò (Yên Bái), Mường So (Lai Châu), Mường Lay, and Mường Thanh (Điện Biên), however, are considered as the main centers of the Xòe.

In Yên Bái province, Xòe is practiced in 4 districts / towns, with 15 communes / wards, and 102 villages / hamlets of Tai people. The total number of people practicing in 180 performance troupes is 1,200, including people of all ages and characteristics. In 2015, there were two practitioners awarded the title of Meritorious Artists, namely Lò Văn Biến and Điêu thị Xiêng.

In Sơn La province, there are a total of 1471 Xòe Tai practitioners performing across 119 villages in six districts, incorporating people of different ages, performing different roles, such as the Xòe artists (those people with many years of dancing experience), instrument players, practitioners, and young people practicing the dance. A number of these people are currently regularly practicing the Xòe in Tai performance troupes in their villages. According to the inventory, six practitioners across the six districts were awarded the title of Meritorious Practitioners in 2015.

In Lai Châu province, Tai communities living in the districts of Phong Thổ, Sìn Hồ, Nậm Nhùn, Tân Uyên, Than Uyên, Mường Tè, Tam Đường, as well as Lai Châu city, organize Xòe activities through 100 village performance troupes, encompassing more than 1,200 participants. In 2015, four people were conferred the title of Excellent Artist by the state.

In Điện Biên province, Tai Xòe dancing is practiced in ten districts, incorporating 150 villages and 1,273 teams of practitioners. The total number of prominent Tai Xòe performance teams across the four districts of the inventory was 94 Tai Xòe teams, with a total of 966 artisans, musicians and regular Tai Xòe practitioners. As conferred by the state at the time of the survey(August 2016), Điện Biên province has three Tai Xòe artists awarded the title of Excellent Artist;Mào Văn Ết, Lương Thị Đai, and Hoàng Thím, who has already passed away.

The space in which Tai people organize a Xòe dance event is flexible, and not fixed to one location. In the past, spaces used for dancing activities included in the homes of families with large stilt houses, or in the homes of families celebrating a special event (wedding, new house, birthday, etc.), wishing to invite villagers to come and share their joy. Dancing also took place right next to the fields or on the banks of streams in the midst of tired labor sessions. The most popular space used for organizing entertainment activities for the community, however, are the spacious empty yards in the residential area of ​​the villagers.

Later, due to improvements in socio-economic conditions in Viet Nam in general and the villages in particular, most villages had a cultural house, which was used for meetings and the organization of activities making up community life. These activities included the performance of Xòe by the village dance teams. In addition, depending on the reason for organizing Xòe, the performance may take place in different wide or narrow spaces (celebrations and grand ceremonies are generally held in the commune's square and/or stadium, whereas guilds are organized at the commune hall).

When asked about the occasions during which a Xòe dance event is organized, 94.9% of the communities said that they regularly dance during a wedding ceremony or to celebrate the construction of a new house; 86.2% regularly dance during a feast on holidays organized by the government; 70.4% dance Xòe during traditional festivals; 63.6% said that the dance is organized as a mass activity at other festivals; 60.2% said it is organized according to the daily schedule of the clubs and arts teams (60.2%); and 54.1% said it was performed during holidays. Fewer interviewees reported Xòe being performed during religious rituals (12.4%), with only 8.4% reporting that it was regularly danced during such rituals. Even more rare was the performance of Xòe during funeral ceremonies, with only three villages in Vân Hồ district, Sơn La province, and two villages in Nghĩa Lộ town, Yên Bái province, still practicing it during such occasions as in the interviews of the practitioners Lường Văn Châu, Hà Văn Kiểm and Vi Văn Phúc in Nà Bó and Bó Hiềng villages, Ma Păng commune, and practitioner Hà Thị Lánh Men commune, Vân Hồ district (interview on March 22, 2018).

2. Characteristics of the Art of Xòe Dance of the Tai People

2.1. Characteristics of practitioners

 The custodians of Xòe Dance are the Tai community members (which include Black Tai and White Tai - distinguished by their different costume colors), who mostly live in the provinces of northwestern Viet Nam (Yên Bái, Lai Châu, Sơn La and Điện Biên provinces), as well as being scattered across the provinces of Hòa Bình, Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An. The people who practice the Xòe are Tai residents, regardless of their gender, age, occupation or working status, that are available to participate in Xòe activities.

Members of the Tai community who practice Xòe activities are first of all the shaman masters (Tào, Mo, Phựt, and Then masters), and then the sick people being cured by the masters and accepted as "adopted children” - i.e. disciples. Each year, these people gather at their master’s home to perform rituals and express their thanks to the gods. Masters are people whose destiny is to perform the ritual, inherited from his family (from grandparents and parents), with the ability to communicate with the gods. They are knowledgeable about ritual practices, knows how to Xòe, and make offerings and transmissions to their disciples during rituals held at their shrine, or home of their disciples, to heal, ward off evils, and generally improve their lives.

Those who grasp the practice of Xòe and have the skills to instruct the Tai community members in it are often educated, intellectual and knowledgeable about ethnic customs. They are able to practice, preserve and create dances from the their grandparents, and are respected and trusted by the community. It is those who have been trained in professional arts at cultural schools, or who seek out and study the art of Xòe, and master the skills of dancing, who also play the role of instructing other people how to Xòe.

Many people who hold and practice the Xòe in the Tai community are also gifted at music and know how to play musical instruments, including the drums and the other ethnic instruments.

The most popular Xòe style is a collective dance with at least eight people or more (enough for a Xòe performance troupe), often formed by groups or performance troupes, clubs or association organizations (e.g., Women's Union, Elderly Association, Career Association, Youth Council, Youth Union, or each class at the school at all levels).

The practice of Xòe dance is not limited to the community of one locality (village/hamlet), but it is always available to and encourages non-locals, according to different social relations or people of other ethnic groups, to participate in the performance. Those who practice the Xòe in association with religious activities are often organized by the ritual masters, with the participation of disciples and the community (mainly Tai people) who have faith in the gods. This group of practitioners is often intertwined as a congregation, a group of disciples, who voluntarily come together to perform the Xòe during rituals at the masters’ house ( Tào, Phựt and Mo masters) or sometimes at the home of a sick or troubled person in the village.

The Xòe circle performance is often held during cultural events, festivals, or the everyday activities of a certain group of people (e.g., holidays, birthdays, housewives, weddings).

The art of Tai Xòe in northwestern Viet Nam is mainly for women and female dancers are the main practitioners with their gentle, flexible movements. The participants in the Tai Xòe, however, generally do not distinguish between age, occupation, political statues, gender, social status, or religious beliefs. With the Xòe is held by Then shaman masters, the participants are mainly people suffering illness or are experiencing trouble, and who join the Xoe to thank the gods, or who take in the rituals to pray to the gods for a peaceful life, propensity and good health.

The practice of Tai Xòe is organized in almost all villages of Tai people in many different localities. The mountainous provinces of northwestern Viet Nam (Yên Bái, Lai Châu, Sơn La, and Điện Biên provinces) are home to the highest populations of Tai people (Black Tai and White Tai people), and include the localities considered as the center of Xòe, such as the Mường Lò area (Nghĩa Lộ town and Văn Chấn district, Yên Bái province), Mường So (Phong Thổ and Lai Châu districts, Lai Châu province), and Mường Lay and Mường Thanh (Mường Lay town, and Điện Biên and Mường Thanh districts, Điện Biên province). These areas are considered the largest Xòe practice centers, associated with a long history of migration to and residence by Tai people in Viet Nam (from the 11th century onwards). The venue for Xòe is usually a Community House, Village Cultural House, or in one of the large beautiful houses of a person from the village. Ritual Xòe is usually held at the home of the masters or at the home of the sick or the person in need of the spiritual help. In addition, Xòe is practiced at playing places, usually suitable spaces at work or tourist sites.

3. The Value of the Art of the Xòe Dance of the Tai People

People in all Tai villages (as mentioned above), regardless of age, gender, occupation, political beliefs, social status, ethnic group or religious beliefs can participate in a Xoe performance. In addition to the Xòe for the shaman's followers, or the advanced Xòe for experienced practitioners, the circle Xòe is for collective practice by everyone. By inviting people to participate, Xòe shows mutual respect between members of the Tai community and the people of other communities. Therefore, Xòe dance is a means of communication to connect communities, and has become a symbol of solidarity, a crystallization of life experiences and creative thinking in the life and daily activities of the Tai people. The Xoe allows participants to feel closer together and has really become the representative cultural maker of the Tai people in Viet Nam. The survey data collected in the areas of the heritage inventory shows that up to 97% of the population think that Xòe helps create entertainment for the community, as well as with expanding relations within village communities and regions. 75.8% of people surveyed consider Xòe art a valuable in creating solidarity and community exchanges in villages. 57.6% of people said that the art of Xòe helps fulfil the needs of people practicing their beliefs and customs, while 55.6% think that the art of Xòe expresses local folk beliefs. These results show that the art of Xòe is increasingly aimed at generating entertainment values in the spiritual life of Tai communities in the Northwestern region of Viet Nam.

Xòe dance plays an important role in Tai community life, as a form of entertainment after a hard day’s work, helping people to be happy, relaxed and improve their health, so that they can continue to work more effectively. Xòe dance is a cultural resource, connecting community members to create collective strength. This demonstrates the connection between intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development. According to the local tradition, Tai people know how to use natural resources in a sustainable way. In Xòe, traditional musical instruments and ceremonial trees made from natural products, such as wood, bamboo and local agricultural products, also convey the message of Tai behavior to nature in a sustainable way.

Xòe dance has becomes a cultural resource for the Tai community to contribute to tourism development and economic growth, as well as exchange relations with ethnic peoples at home and abroad.

Xòe Dance contributes to enriching folk dance art, and the process of creation and diversification of intangible cultural heritage capital of Vietnamese multi-ethnic national community.

4. The Art of Xòe Dance of the Tai People in Contemporary Society

During the discussions with people from the inventory areas in the four provinces, most of them said that after 1954 and up until the 1980s, cultural and artistic activities of villages were most at risk, as well as some individual’s activities, depending on the individual needs of certain groups of people in the localities. The main causes of this were as follows:

- Due to the war, especially the war against the Americans. During this period, the community was unable to practice and organize cultural activities as they could do during peace time.

- Due to wartime, rituals, festivities, and the spiritual belief practices of individuals and collectives, during the 60s and 70s of last century, were prohibited, with people required to concentrate more on services against the US Air Force. In this historical context, all forms of religious activities and community cultural activities were prohibited.

- After 1975, although the country was at peace and unified, the mechanisms and cultural institutions had not yet recovered properly and promptly. Nearly two decades later, the economic conditions of life in the mountains was still extremely difficult, and the communities had no conditions in which to organize cultural activities, and most traditional cultural activities had not been given much attention, restored or performed.

- From 1995 up to now, thanks to the policies of the Party and the State, the cultural activities of village communities have received the attention of the authorities and cultural management boards from the province to the commune/ward level. The reality of community cultural activities is expressed through the following forms of organization and activities.

Firstly, the communities have paid attention to the prestigious presence of local practitioners. They have also enhanced awareness of activities, such as learning folk songs and dancing, to satisfy personal interests and practice during cultural events, festivals and New Year holidays.

  Secondly, the authorities and cultural management cadres at the commune and district levels collaborated with community members in establishing performance troupes, attracting individuals who were capable of dancing and singing. This has contributed in safeguarding the Xoè heritage and ensuring its vitality.

Thirdly, some local and/or professional artists have established their own performance troupes that encourage community members to learn and take part in the Xoe performances.

Fourthly, at the commune and district levels (and in recent years, also with the participation of the provincial and central levels), Xoe and singing competitions have been annually organized annually in the different localities. This has stimulated awareness and development of basic cultural activities. The establishment of district cultural centers, in particular, has had significant implications for the development of cultural activities at the grassroots levels.

Fifthly, due to economic development in most localities, communities now have the ability to organize art and cultural activities in their spiritual life, which has contributed to the revitalization of folk expressions, such as Xoe dance and the other traditional genres.

Of those surveyed, 100% of the people said that the activity of Xòe dance in general, and traditional Xoè in particular, is currently the main cultural activity of Tai people, meeting the needs of exchanges and entertainment for all generations. The Tai people enjoy the dance and it makes their life more exciting, especially at the beginning of the New Year and during their free time after the harvest. The survey results show quite a variety of activities in community cultural life, of which the Xòe dance plays a leading role as a spiritual and cultural activity indispensable in the community life of the Tai people.

5. The transmission of the Xòe Dance

Most Tai village communities living in the areas of Yên Bái, Lai Châu, Sơn La, and Điện Biên provinces have the desire to attend dance activities during cultural events and festivals. In most villages, the transmission of Tai art knowledge and skills is mainly through oral means, as well as direct practice, which takes place at the following three levels:

 In Tai families, children learn how to Xòe from grandparents and parents. From a young age, the children follow their parents to the rituals at the masters’ house, to celebrate and participate in festivals, and were instructed by the adults to dance. The masters passed on to their children and grandchildren the religious professions.

  At the community level, during the rituals, the masters teach Xòe to their disciples. During collective Xòe dances, gifted and senior practitioners that know Xòe well instruct other participants how to Xòe, the way to move, swing their hands and feet to the beat, and how to use props, such as hats and scarves, sticks, music instruments, and so on. Artists and professional choreographers also join in to hand down their knowledge through oral transmissions to individuals and in classes.

In schools, all levels and classes organize extracurricular activities to practice Xòe. Many schools invite practitioners to teach. From a state management perspective, the authorities at all levels and related departments regularly organize competitions and cultural festivals to raise awareness and understanding of Xòe, enhance exchanges, and share skills in practicing Xòe among individuals and communities.

The main force directly involved in the practice of Xòe dance activities has been the youth and middle-aged people. The performance troupes, head by the main practitioner, has become the core force for all forms of local cultural activities and transmissions

  Through the questionnaires of the inventory, 85% of respondents confirmed that the young generation and descendants of families in villages/neighborhoods are enthusiastic and excited to participate directly in cultural activities that incorporate Xòe dance. Random interviews of children (aged 10-15), who have participated in local cultural activities or schools, said that they always enjoy learning to dance.

- 80% of the discussion groups said that at present, children do not have time to attend the cultural activities of the villages. The reason for this is that the time they spend in class and at home accounts for 70%, and the time spent to support their families is at least 30% (because most villages still have economic difficulties, except for some communes of townships and towns where the district is located in a town or city). The current manner in which children learn to dance is mainly through three forms: Learning from programs broadcast on television; Learning from the direct teaching or oral transmission of parents (or people who know how to dance and sing in the village); or studying it during extracurricular programs at the school.

Currently, performance troupes are supporting part of the training and teaching expenses, and places for them to live, as well as facilitating exchanges between villages/hamlets, or participating in competitions and cultural events organized by the government.

Cultural management agencies are also currently active in producing many kinds of music and dance music to promote the heritage of the people. This also serves as a document for learners of Xòe in the villages.

In recent years, several communes/wards have actively created favorable conditions for local practitioners to teach dance and singing to children in preschool, primary and secondary schools. In-school teaching methods are taught by part-time teachers, or teachers with modern music training, during extracurricular activities.

 The members of performance troupes have became a practical teaching force in the villages, bringing remarkable results in the transmission of the dance.

6. Some Issues in Safeguarding the Xòe Dance

6.1. The status and positive effects of the heritage

- The majority of cultural and arts activities in general, and the dance practice in particular, have been given attention and restored by the authorities and cultural management sectors in the provinces, including through the construction of community culture houses and promotion of cultural and spiritual life (establishing performance troupes in most Tai villages, organizing cultural competitions during celebrations and Lunar New Year, etc.). Due to the difficult economic conditions of the localities, and different subjective and objective circumstances, however, the number of traditional art activities is often limited, and mainly concentrated in the towns and cities.

- The awareness of safeguarding and maintaining the traditional forms of cultural activities in general, and the dance in particular in villages/hamlets/residential areas mainly belong to middle-aged and older groups of people, expressed through their participation in the performance troupes, as the nuclear human source for each local region. Retired cadres and soldiers in the localities have been particularly enthusiastic in taking responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the cultural heritage of their homeland.

- The establishment of performance troupes in villages/hamlets/villages over the most recent ten years has attracted the attention of the public. According to the general direction of the authorities and cultural managers at all levels, the performance troupes have been the core force in transmitting the cultural heritage to the younger generation.

The results of the investigation into the local safeguarding measures that are currently being implemented to ensure the vitality of and promote the performance of the dance in life show that: 1) the most popular safeguarding measure is the village cultural arts organization, accounting for 88.0%; 2) 6 2 % of respondents selected measures to organize regular exchanges in the villages and with other localities; and 3) 53.0% of respondents chose measures that encourage group practice activities.

Over 30% of respondents said that in recent years, the locality has been implementing the measures to safeguard and promote the performance of the Xòe in life, such as: expanding extracurricular activities at schools at all levels; building facilities to create regular living spaces; and developing mechanisms for rewarding and supporting practitioners.

- In most villages/hamlets/residential areas, radio and television has increased the time given to the introduction of the folk songs and dance activities of typical performance troupes. As a result,, people have a better understanding of ethnic cultural heritage, of which the most prominent is the Tai heritage. According to the people, this has provided families with more forms of lively education for their children to be proud of, enhanced social awareness, culture and arts, and led to a more moral lifestyle in general.

- Through the number of inventory questionaires from 400 villages / hamlets / residential areas of four provinces among authorities and cultural management cadres at all levels, the survey results show that 85% of people are satisfied with the local authorities at the commune and village levels. This clearly shows that there is consensus to maintain the festival, as well as to Xòe dance in a sustainable way, and produce positive outcomes in the process of promoting the values ​​and meanings of the cultural heritage.

- Initially, the commune-level administration had a close association with the community under the motto of providing support in the management of the performance troupes. According to the results of the inventory, 90% of the community members agree with the initial step of local government in the process of revitalizing, safeguarding and promoting the values of the current Xòe dance.

6.2. Some risks come from the current status of the heritage

- 95% of representatives of villages, hamlets and residential communities participating in the discussion groups confirmed that the level of collecting and recording historical and religious culture expression and cultural heritage is still limited in the majority of localities. There is a significant reason why the number of people who know Tai characters is so small. Indeed, in some local areas, there are no people that know the Tai language.

- 80% of respondents participating in the discussion groups said that, at present, there is a percentage of young people from primary school through to secondary school who are at risk of not reading and speaking their own language. Exchanges and relations between Tai families and schools and society mainly utilize the Vietnamese national language and script. This is one of the leading factors restricting the safeguarding and transmission of ethnic cultural heritage.

- 70% of the respondents said that the Xòe dance performance has been significantly impacted by the available performance space, spare time, props, costumes, and musical instruments.

- 95% of the discussion groups proposed to increase the role of government at all levels in organizing cultural events and collecting, recording and publishing documents on intangible cultural heritage related to local traditional culture in general, and Xòe dance activities in particular; in addition to supporting open Tai language classes in the localities.

- At present, most of the villages with active traditional cultural activities receive little financial support, which has some effect on the organization of Xòe performances. 100% of survey respondesnt suggested that authorities at all levels should pay more attention to supporting the transmission and restoration of the traditional ethnic culture in villages/hamlets.

The survey results show that most of the performance troupes directly involved in transmitting the Xòe dance, especially the practitioners who understand the heritage, have little support from the local government. Not enough attention is paid to most senior practitioners with long-standing reputations (either deceased or very old) in relation to subsidizing or honoring their time. As a result, a part of the heritage, and knowledge about ethnic cultural heritage, is at risk of disappearance, causing loss of Tai community culture in particular, and the nation's culture in general.

- 90% of people said that the authorities at all levels are still not active and creative in mobilizing the interest of different non-governmental organizations to safeguard and promote local cultural heritage values. This main limitation in mobilizing socal resources has affected the safeguarding, transmission and promotion of heritage and community tourism development.

- In fact, the connection between local schools and the safeguarding and promotion of the cultural heritage values ​​of villages/hamlets is not strong. Information and education are still limited and does include the deep involvement of community members. At present, the favored method of transmitting ethnic cultural heritage in many primary and secondary schools is to invite a practitioner to teach it, who decides on the content of the lesson. In some localities, however, the teaching of dance is still largely dependent on the awareness and ability of music teachers and whether they are passionate about the heritage.

- 100% of the representatives of the Tai ethnic community that attended the workshop on the Xòe dance inventory in the four provinces agreed to cooperate with the authorities and managers at all levels in the development of the Xòe dance dossier to be submitted to UNESCO for consideration and recognition on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A number of practitioners wrote letters in the Tai language expressing their consensus to develop the dossier with the support of the authorities and cultural management boards at all levels.

6.3. The role of the Community in Safeguarding and Promoting the Art of Xòe Dance of the Tai people

The Art of Xòe Dance has great meaning in the spiritual life of Tai people in particular, and ethnic minorities in general. Therefore, in the past, Xòe art has been nurtured and protected by all levels and sectors in the provinces of Yên Bái, Lai Châu, Sơn La and Điện Biên, in order to maintain the Xòe dance tradition.

In Yên Bái province, community cultural activities are expressed through the following forms of organization and activities:

- During the period prior to 2005, local cultural departments did not organize cultural events at the regional level in which Xòe dance was performed within villages and communes. The Xòe was still practiced regularly by the community during village festivals, however, including the circle Xòe, scarf Xòe, bottle Xòe, fan Xòe, conical hat Xòe, flower Xòe, and couple Xòe. These Xòe dances are based on the gestures and rhythms of the traditional dance styles.

-Since 2005, tourism programs and cultural weeks have been organized more frequently, allowing the Xòe to expand in size, form and style. During this time, Xòe has not only been performed in every village, commune and ward, but also in the whole area, with the participation of thousands of people in the circle Xòe. In addition, the practitioners have popularized the six ancient styles of Xòe in the community, so the art of Xòe has been restored and gradually developed. In recent years, the awareness of the value of the heritage has also been enhanced. In the recent past, members of local communities organized many activities to widely disseminate this heritage practice, such as: organizing classes to introduce the six ancient styles of Xòe in the villages; and inviting practitioner Lò Văn Biến (86 years old of Nghĩa Lộ town), and a number of other individuals, to restore the ancient Tai Xòe by teaching members of the performance troupes in Nghĩa Lộ town, and in the communes, wards and villages. This is a typical example of the revitalization of the traditional dance. From schools in Nghĩa Lộ town to communes such as Nghĩa An, Nghĩa Phúc, Nghĩa Lợi, Phường Tân An, Trung Tâm, Pú Chạng, and Cầu Thia, and villages and hamlets of the Mường Lò region, a number of performance troupes have been developed, with each village and commune having at least one Xòe troupe with an increasing number of participants.

Xòe is a key element in the cultural and artistic activities of the region. The Xòe has expanded very rapidly in terms of the number of participants. The members of performance troupes not only learn from practitioners, but also exchange knowledge and skills and learn from each other. All troupes are now performing the six traditional dances together with other Xòe dance styles, such as the circle Xòe, scarf Xòe, bottle Xòe, fan Xòe, and conical hat Xòe. In 2013, in Nghĩa Lộ town, the compilation of the "Ancient Xòe dance of the Tai ethnic people in Nghĩa Lộ - Mường Lò" was written by Mr. Lò văn Biến, representing a useful document for transmitting Xòe to the local people. He also instructed the Xòe music to 20 people from August 21 September 10, 2014. Up until now, two music groups have mastered the melody and rhythm of the musical instruments played during the performance of the six Xoe dance styles. From August 1 to October 7, 2014, Mr. Lò Văn Biến instructed a group of teachers (seven people) over a total of six days. The teachers were taught about the origin, meanings and movements of the six basic Xòe dances. Up until now, 48 core performance troupes have been established in Nghĩa Lộ town, incorporating 384 people from 7 communes and wards, including members of the Elderly Association, Women's Union, Youth Union, as well as preschool, primary and secondary students. In addition, there are two core musician troupes incorporating 20 people. Annually, Nghĩa Lộ town organizes grassroots level competitions, which encourage a large number of Tai people to participate. Each village establishes performance troupes, trained by main practitioners, that regularly perform Xoè in exchanges with other localities. Nghĩa Lộ - Mường Lò has a Xòe troupe of up to 2013 persons, who come from the local Xòe village troupes in order to perform on holidays and during large cultural festivals held in the province. In 2013, 2013 dancers performed the largest Xoe circle at Nghĩa Lộ town stadium.

Up until now, the art of Xòe of the Tai people in has become an indispensable spiritual heritage of the community of Nghĩa Lộ town (Mường Lò). This art form is not only for social activities, but goes deep into the subconscious of the people in the region.

In Lai Châu province, the authorities and Tai ethnic communities have quite effective mechanisms and policies for encouraging the maintenance and promotion of the Xòe heritage. Although these policies focus primarily on promoting Tai cultural values ​​in general, they have also partly encouraged and promoted the values ​​of the Xòe dance. The organization and establishment of performance troupes in most communities have inadvertently promoted the national cultural values and created the opportunity to safeguard and promote the other heritage elements. The results of the quantitative survey show that the villages organized the performance troupes (94.0%). In addition to promoting various types of cultural activities according to the policies of the Party and the State, the village/hamlet performance troupes are also a platform through which to practice and promote the cultural forms of the ethnic community. Other measures employed in the villages to promote the activity include encouraging practice activities in groups (56.0%); Organizing and interacting more frequently (51.0%); Building facilities to create living space (49.0%); and Rewarding and supporting the main practitioners (44.0%).

Some individuals and practitioners have actively participated in teaching and safeguarding the Xòe. Ms. Đỗ Thị Tấc, for example, invested her own money in building a row of stilt houses for displaying Tai cultural heritages and teaching the Xòe to the community in Than Uyên town (Lai Châu province). Other folk practitioners, such as Lò Văn Sao (68 years old from Mường Cang village, Than Uyên town) and Hoàng Ngọc Xíu (78 years old from Nà Củng village, Mường So commune, Phong Thổ district), have recorded and published documents about the origin of Xòe,, the dance styles, context of the performance, and the related folklore expressions. In Nậm Nhum district, some ritual masters regularly instruct their disciples how to celebrate and thank god during rituals. In Phong Thổ and Than Uyên districts, folk practitioners and community members, who are knowledgeable about Xòe, participate in teaching the younger generation in preschool and high school classes.

In Sơn La province, the awareness of government officials, especially from the provincial cultural offices, on the value of the Xòe dance has increased. This has led to the government’s continuous efforts and interventions over the past ten years in the restoration, safeguarding and transmission of the Xòe dance. Establishing a program for the development of performance troupes in most Tai villages/hamlets in the province has been a particularly effective activity. The report of the province in 2014 showed that it had more than 3,000 troupes at the village/hamlet level (which are provided funding from the local government of two million Vietnam Dong per year per troupe). A strong awareness of the importance of the Xòe is also crucial for the province when the safeguarding of the Xòe practice is closely linked to the safeguarding and promotion of customs and cultural values ​​of the Tai festivals, practices, rituals, cuisine, costumes, musical instruments, and craftsmanship.

In Điện Biên province, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has developed a program to organize the celebration of the historic victory at Điện Biên Phủ in even years and ethnic cultural festivals, as well as provide organizational guidance in celebrating the festival dedicated to the historical figure, Hoàng Công Chất, in Bản Phủ temple, as well as other traditional festivals, such as Kin Pang Then. The Xòe dance is performed at local cultural and social events, attracting large numbers of people from outside of the performance troupes, such as tourists, to join. In recent years, with the support of programs funded by government and non-governmental organizations (through national target programs and with Danish funds), a number of projects have been implemented on safeguarding folk dance and traditional instruments. This is considered as one of the most important motivations contributing to the safeguarding of folk-dance arts, as well as the musical instruments and other cultural heritage elements. To date, Điện Biên province has established 1,273 performance troupes in villages/hamlets, most of which are the performance troupes of the Tai ethnic group, considered to be the main force behind maintaining and developing the Xòe. This has contributed to the safeguarding and development of the Xòe, not only by the local ethnic people, but also tourists, who go there and enjoy participating in the Xòe. Each member of the performance troupe has a sense of responsibility and a passion for the aesthetic value of the art form that his father passed down. Thus, they are happy to continue to introduce the cultural heritage to domestic and foreign tourists. In order to create favorable conditions for the activities of the performance troupes, each year, the national target program of the Culture, Sports and Tourism office financially supports them in purchasing loudspeakers, drums and costumes.

Currently, the acquisition and inheritance of the Xòe for the younger generation has many limitations. In recent years, however, the coordination program between sectors implementing the program entitled "Building a Positive Student Friendly School" have integrated folk performance art, including Xòe, into extracurricular programs. This is very valuable in safeguarding the Xòe. Điện Biên province is a border province adjacent to China and Laos, so it often has art performances and cultural exchanges with other provincial unions and associations from these two countries. The Xòe dance has thereby been introduced widely to foreign provinces, especially the Xòe circle style, with its deep meaning for Tai people and symbol of union. The Provincial Party Executive Committee issued Resolution No. 09/NQ/TU, dated December 20, 2012, on the program of safeguarding the heritage and development of ethnic groups in Điện Biên province. This is associated with the Socio-economic Development Plan from 2015 to 2020, with the main task of safeguarding ethnic cultures; economic development and promoting the cultural identity value of ethnic groups, and enhancing the role of social factors to participate in the safeguarding and development of ethnic cultures. The People's Committee of Điện Biên Province issued Decision No. 401/QD-UBND, dated June 12, 2013, approving the safeguarding and cultural development of ethnic minorities in Điện Biên province, associated with the economic development plan from 2015 to 2020. Therefore, in the coming time, Điện Biên province will continue the safeguarding and development of ethnic culture, of which Xòe is among the elements that imbue the cultural identity of the local people.

The Xòe heritage has been included in the National List of Intangible National Cultural Heritage, with its names and decisions of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

- The Art of Xòe Dance of the Tai People in Điện Biên province under Decision No. 3820/QD - BVHTTDL in 2013.

- The Art of Xòe Dance of the Tai People in Yên Bái province according to the Decision No. 1877/QD-BVHTTDL in 2015.

- The Art of Xòe Dance of the Tai People in Lai Châu province under the Decision No. 1877/QD-BVHTTDL in 2015.

- The Art of Xòe Dance of the Tai People in Sơn La province according to the decision No. 1877 / QD-BVHTTDL in 2015.

Hanoi, 5 - 12 - 2018

Rapporteur

Professor, Dr. Bui Quang Thanh

(The leader of the inventory team)

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8. Hoàng Thị Hạnh, Lò Văn Biến, Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng (2005), Tìm hiểu một số tục cúng vía của người Thái Đen ở Mường Lò (The Study of Some Rituals for Souls of the Black Tai in Mường Lò Region), Nxb. Văn hóa thông tin, Hà Nội.

9. Nguyễn Văn Hoà (1998), “Người Thái Đen cúng tổ tiên”, Văn hóa và lịch sử người Thái ở Việt Nam (“The Black Tai worship their Ancestors”, Culture and History of the Tai People in Viet Nam), (chương trình Thái học Việt Nam - Trung tâm Nghiên cứu Việt Nam và giao lưu văn hóa, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội), Nxb. Văn hóa dân tộc, Hà Nội, tr. 453-460.

10. Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng (2003), Tìm hiểu xoè vòng trong sinh hoạt văn hóa cộng đồng của dân tộc Thái ở Văn Chấn - tỉnh Yên Bái (The Study of the Xoe Circle in the Community Life of the Tai People in Văn Chấn - Yên Bái Province), khoá luận cử nhân Văn hóa quần chúng, Trường Đại học Văn hóa Hà Nội, Hà Nội, tr. 17-39.

11. Nguyễn Việt Hùng (2005), Tính đặc sắc của các điệu Xoè cổ dân tộc Thái (The Special Traits of the Ancient Xoe Dances of the Tai People), Hội thảo “Văn hóa - du lịch”, Sở Văn hóa Thông tin - Sở Thương mại du lịch Yên Bái.

12. Hà Lâm Kỳ (1998), “Tục thiêu xác và tín ngưỡng đưa hồn về Mường Trời của người Thái Đen ở Mường Lò, Yên Bái”, Văn hóa và lịch sử người Thái ở Việt Nam (“The Cremination and Beliefs in Sending off the Souls of the Tai People in Viet Nam” - Culture and History of the Tai in Viet Nam), (chương trình Thái học Việt Nam - Trung tâm Nghiên cứu Việt Nam và giao lưu văn hóa, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội), Nxb. Văn hóa dân tộc, Hà Nội, tr. 507-510.

13. Lã Văn Lô, Đặng Nghiêm Vạn (1968), Sơ lược giới thiệu các nhóm dân tộc Tày - Nùng - Thái ở Việt Nam (The Brief Introduction of the Ethnic Groups of Tay-Nung-Tai in Viet Nam), Nxb. Khoa học xã hội, Hà Nội.

14. Lâm Tô Lộc (1985), Xòe Thái (Xoe Dance of the Tai Peope), Nxb. Văn hóa, Hà Nội.

15. Hoàng Thị Vân Mai (2007), Các địa danh ở Mường Lò, tỉnh Yên Bái liên quan đến lịch sử văn hóa của người Thái Đen (The Geographical Places in Mường Lò Region, Yên Bái Provinces Related to the History and Culture of the Black Tai People), luận văn thạc sỹ Văn hóa học, Trường Đại học Văn hóa Hà Nội, Hà Nội, tr. 6-24.

16. Nhiều tác giả, Một số vấn đề xây dựng đời sống văn hóa cơ sở tỉnh Yên Bái (Some Issues of the Building Up the Grassroots Culture in Yên Bái Province), Nxb. Văn hóa dân tộc, Hà Nội.

17. Hoàng Việt Quân (2003) (Manuscript), Địa danh Yên Bái sơ khảo (Basic Geographical Places of Yên Bái.

18. Tỉnh uỷ Yên Bái (2000), “Dân tộc Thái”- Một nét đặc trưng các dân tộc tỉnh Yên Bái (“The Tai People” in Some Special Traits of Ethnic Groups in Yên Bái), p.47-54.

19. Bùi Chí Thanh (2007), Xoè Thái một giai đoạn phát triển độc đáo (Xoe Dance of the Tai People- A Special Development Period), Nxb. Hội Nghệ sĩ múa Việt Nam.

20. Lê Ngọc Thắng, Lâm Bá Nam (1990), Bản sắc văn hóa các dân tộc Việt Nam, Nxb. Văn hóa dân tộc, Hà Nội.

21. Cầm Trọng (2005), Những hiểu biết về người Thái ở Việt Nam (Understanding about the Tai People in Viet Nam) Nxb. Chính trị Quốc gia, Hà Nội.

22. Cầm Trọng (1978), Người Thái ở Tây Bắc Việt Nam (The Tai People in the Northwestern Reigion in Viet Nam), Nxb. Khoa học xã hội, Hà Nội.

23. Đặng Nghiêm Vạn (1977), “Quắm tố mương”, Tư liệu về lịch sử và xã hội dân tộc Thái (“Quắm tố mương”, the Historical Documents and Society of the Tai People), Nxb. Khoa học xã hội, Hà Nội.

24. Đặng Nghiêm Vạn (2001), “Sơ lược về sự thiên di của các ngành Thái vào Tây Bắc Việt Nam” (The Brief History of the Imigrance of the Tai Peoples in Northwestern Regions in Viet Nam), Dân tộc văn hóa tôn giáo, Nxb. Khoa học xã hội, Hà Nội.

25. Lò Văn Lả dịch (Compiler), Quam tố mương (chuyện kể về bản mường) (Quam tố mương, the Story about the Village and mường Region).

26. Lò Văn Biến (collected and translated), Táy pú sớc (Bước đường chinh chiến của cha ông), Sử thi của người Thái đen (Táy pú sớc-the Fighting Course of Grandparents, Epic of the Black Tai People), bản viết tay năm 1954.  

 27. Đề tài nghiên cứu khoa học (2014), Bảo tồn, lưu truyền 6 điệu Xòe cổ của đồng bào dân tộc Thái vùng Nghĩa Lộ, Mường Lò (Safeguarding and Transmission of the 6 Ancient Xoe Dance of the Thai People in Nghĩa Lộ and Mường Lò Regions), Chủ nhiệm đề tài: Lò Thị Huân.

28. Trung tâm Nghiên cứu Việt Nam và giao lưu văn hóa (1988), Văn hóa và lịch sử người Thái ở Việt Nam (Culture and History of the Tai People in Viet Nam), Chương trình Thái học Việt Nam. Nxb. Văn hóa dân tộc.

 

Safeguarding Measures: VN.0098TD Nghe thuat Xoe Thai

I. Safeguarding measures proposed

- In order to ensure that the vitality of Xòe Dance will not be jeopardized in the future, the Vietnamese government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Tai community in the four northwestern provinces of Yên Bái, Điện Biên, Lai Châu, and Sơn La, cooperate to propose the following safeguarding measures:

1. Organization of regular practice and transmission:

- This would make it possible to maintain and encourage main practitioners and village members to regularly practice and instruct Xòe dance in rituals, weddings, festivals, and culture and art events at local, district, provincial and national levels.

2. Transmission through formal and non-formal education:

   Formal education: Implementing the educational program "Guidelines for the use of cultural heritage in teaching in high schools" issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education & Training in 2013, we aim to introduce Xòe dance music and instruments to high school students in the four provinces mentioned above. These programs aim to raise awareness among members of the young generation about the importance of intangible cultural heritage in life and in sustainable development.

Non-formal education: Schools would set up performance teams for Xoè Dance and invite main practitioners to come and teach Xòe Dance, show students how to play musical instruments, and help students practice before performances at festivals, competitions and the annual cultural week of ethnic groups in the northwestern region.

- In addition, we would encourage some practitioners to open private classes at their homes and in their villages to encourage young children to participate in dance classes and related activities during weekends and summer holidays.

3. Research, inventory and documentation:

- Elderly people and local experts on the study of Tai people will continue to coordinate with researchers from central institutions, such as Viet Nam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies and the Institute of Musicology, to collect and study the development history, skills and practice context, and types of Xòe dances.

-  The cultural development program and Viet Nam’s Association of Folklorists will continue to support and publish works on the collection and research of Xòe Dance in order to disseminate knowledge and understanding about the element.

- Local communities together with grassroots cultural officials will continue to update inventories of Xòe Dance in the four provinces, make reports to the Cultural Heritage Department, and raise necessary funds for research every year.

4. Revitalization:

- A number of ceremony masters and practitioners, in collaboration with local folk researchers, will continue to restore rituals that include traditional dance types and teach them to members of performance troupes.

- The Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism in four provinces supported the communities in the revitalization of some traditional festivals, including the practice of Xòe Dance (e.g., the full moon festival in the first lunar month in Mường Lò (Yên Bái).

5. Awareness Enhance and Promotion:

- Central and local media agencies will integrate the introduction and promotion of the Art of Xòe Dance on channels for culture and ethnic groups. The Television Department of Ethnic Languages at Viet Nam Television Station currently intensifies the introduction and promotion of cultural elements imbued with ethnic identity, such as Xòe Dance.

- Local government authorities and the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the four northwestern provinces annually organize cultural weeks for ethnic groups in addition to competitions, performances, and regional, national, and international cultural exchanges where Xòe dance is performed.

- Currently, Viet Nam National Institute of Arts and Culture Studies cooperates with The International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP, Korea) to produce a film on Xòe Dance for  television programs in Viet Nam and Asia-Pacific countries.

  So far, there have not been any unintended consequences related to the present nomination for inscription on the UNESCO Representative List. After this national nomination, local performing troupes would have more support from local authorities, especially in Sơn La province, and continue to organize performance festivals, including “The Second Festival of Xòe Dance” in Sơn La in 2019.

II. The States Parties support the implementation of the proposed safeguarding measures and the role of communities

- Support of the States Parties

- The government of Vietnam and the People’s Committees of Yên Bái, Điện Biên, Sơn La, and Lai Châu provinces are committed to supporting and facilitating communities efforts to implement safeguarding measures as proposed in section 3.b (i) of this nomination.

- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with provincial People's Committees, local authorities at all levels, the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the four provinces, would continue to develop projects, programs, cultural events and cultural week of ethic groups to encourage the participation of main practitioners and Xòe performing troupes and aims to  offer partial financial support and technical advice for the community to implement the proposed safeguarding measures.

- The Department of Cultural Heritage, in collaboration with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the 4 provinces, will continue to have workshops to create and update inventories of intangible cultural heritage pertaining to Xòe dance.

- Experts at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and research institutions related to intangible cultural heritage would collaborate with main practitioners, local Tai folk collectors, and researchers to implement safeguarding measures. The folk culture researchers at Viet Nam’s Association of Folklorists have necessary expertise and knowledge of folk dance to be able to work together with the local Tai community, main practitioners, and collectors and cultural managers at the grassroots level in implementing projects related to the safeguarding of Xòe Dance. (236 words)

This element was inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the reference names and numbers under the following decisions by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

+ The Art of Xoè Dance of the Tai People in Điện Biên Province (No 7 in the Decision No 3820/QĐ–BVHTTDL in October 31, 2013)

+ The Art of Xoè Dance of the Tai People in Yên Bái Province (No 19 in the Decision  No 1877/QĐ-BVHTTDL in June 8, 2015).

+ The Art of Xoè Dance of the Tai People in Lai Châu Province (No 18  in the Decision No 1877/QĐ-BVHTTDL in June 8, 2015).

+ The Art of Xoè Dance of the Tai People in Sơn La Province (No 20 in the Decision No 1877/QĐ-BVHTTDL in June 8, 2015).

8.2. Role of the community

- The role of the Community in Safeguarding the element

In Yên Bái province, the practitioners have popularized the six ancient styles of Xòe in the community, so the art of Xòe has been restored and gradually developed. In recent years, the awareness of the value of the heritage has also been enhanced. In the recent past, members of local communities organized many activities to widely disseminate this heritage practice, such as: organizing classes to introduce the six ancient styles of Xòe in the villages; and inviting practitioner Lò Văn Biến (86 years old of Nghĩa Lộ town), and a number of other individuals, to restore the ancient Tai Xòe by teaching members of the performance troupes in Nghĩa Lộ town, and in the communes, wards and villages.

Xòe is a key element in the cultural and artistic activities of the region. The Xòe has expanded very rapidly in terms of the number of participants. The members of performance troupes not only learn from practitioners, but also exchange knowledge and skills and learn from each other. All troupes are now performing the six traditional dances together with other Xòe dance styles, such as the circle Xòe, scarf Xòe, bottle Xòe, fan Xòe, and conical hat Xòe. In 2013, in Nghĩa Lộ town, the compilation of the "Ancient Xòe dance of the Tai ethnic people in Nghĩa Lộ - Mường Lò" was written by Mr. Lò văn Biến, representing a useful document for transmitting Xòe to the local people. He also instructed the Xòe music to 20 people from August 21 September 10, 2014. Up until now, two music groups have mastered the melody and rhythm of the musical instruments played during the performance of the six Xoe dance styles. From August 1 to October 7, 2014, Mr. Lò Văn Biến instructed a group of teachers (seven people) over a total of six days. The teachers were taught about the origin, meanings and movements of the six basic Xòe dances. Up until now, 48 core performance troupes have been established in Nghĩa Lộ town, incorporating 384 people from 7 communes and wards, including members of the Elderly Association, Women's Union,  Youth Union, as well as preschool, primary and secondary students. In addition, there are two core musician troupes incorporating 20 people. Annually, Nghĩa Lộ town organizes grassroots level competitions, which encourage a large number of Tai people to participate. Each village establishes performance troupes, trained by main practitioners, that regularly perform Xoè in exchanges with other localities. Nghĩa Lộ - Mường Lò has a Xòe troupe of up to 2013 persons, who come from the local Xòe village troupes in order to perform on holidays and during large cultural festivals held in the province. In 2013, 2013 dancers performed the largest Xoe circle at Nghĩa Lộ town stadium.

Up until now, the art of Xòe of the Tai people in has become an indispensable spiritual heritage of the community of Nghĩa Lộ town (Mường Lò). This art form is not only for social activities, but goes deep into the subconscious of the people in the region.

In Điện Biên province, to date, there has established 1,273 performance troupes in villages/hamlets, most of which are the performance troupes of the Tai ethnic group, considered to be the main force behind maintaining and developing the Xòe. This has contributed to the safeguarding and development of the Xòe, not only by the local ethnic people, but also tourists, who go there and enjoy participating in the Xòe. Each member of the performance troupe has a sense of responsibility and a passion for the aesthetic value of the art form that his father passed down. Thus, they are happy to continue to introduce the cultural heritage to domestic and foreign tourists. In order to create favorable conditions for the activities of the performance troupes, each year, the national target program of the Culture, Sports and Tourism office financially supports them in purchasing loudspeakers, drums and costumes. In the coming time, Điện Biên province will continue the safeguarding and development of ethnic culture, of which Xòe is among the elements that imbue the cultural identity of the local people.

In Lai Châu province, some individuals and practitioners have actively participated in teaching and safeguarding the Xòe. Ms. Đỗ Thị Tấc, for example, invested her own money in building a row of stilt houses for displaying Tai cultural heritages and teaching the Xòe to the community in Than Uyên town (Lai Châu province). Other folk practitioners, such as Lò Văn Sao (68 years old from Mường Cang village, Than Uyên town) and Hoàng Ngọc Xíu (78 years old from Nà Củng village, Mường So commune, Phong Thổ district), have recorded and published documents about the origin of Xòe,, the dance styles, context of the performance, and the related folklore expressions. In Nậm Nhum district, some ritual masters regularly instruct their disciples how to celebrate and thank god during rituals. In Phong Thổ and Than Uyên districts, folk practitioners and community members, who are knowledgeable about Xòe, participate in teaching the younger generation in preschool and high school classes.

In Sơn La province, the awareness of government officials, especially from the provincial cultural offices, on the value of the Xòe dance has increased. This has led to the government’s continuous efforts and interventions over the past ten years in the restoration, safeguarding and transmission of the Xòe dance. Establishing a program for the development of performance troupes in most Tai villages/hamlets in the province has been a particularly effective activity. The report of the province in 2014 showed that it had more than 3,000 troupes at the village/hamlet level (which are provided funding from the local government of two million Vietnam Dong per year per troupe). A strong awareness of the importance of the Xòe is also crucial for the province when the safeguarding of the Xòe practice is closely linked to the safeguarding and promotion of customs and cultural values ​​of the Tai festivals, practices, rituals, cuisine, costumes, musical instruments, and craftsmanship.

List of Master Practitioners: VN.0098TD Nghe thuat Xoe Thai

 

 

REPRESENTATIVE LIST OF PRACTITIONERS OF THE ART OF XÒE DANCE OF THE TAI PEOPLE

Photos: VN.0098TD Nghe thuat Xoe Thai

 

 

Videos: VN.0098TD Nghe thuat Xoe Thai

Audio: VN.0098TD Nghe thuat Xoe Thai