The Rong House is a traditional communal house that holds significant cultural and social importance among the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands region in Vietnam. Let’s explore the specialness of this kind of house with Vietnam Amazing!
Rong House is associated with the social community in Highland
The Western Highland now includes 5 provinces: Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum. Apart from Kinh people, this region also has the other communities like Ba Na, E de, Gia Rai and other minority people such as Xo Dang, Mo Nong, Ma, Co-ho…
Those people lived under a matriarchy; it means their child will bear their mother’s surname. Women are those who have the right to make a decision in most important events in family and also are the breadwinner of their family. As a result, women will choose and then decide who will be their husband.
The families that are blood-relations will decide whether they will live together in the same house or not depending on their custom. Their Rong houses are next to each other, there is one more house if there is a small family appearing in a big family. That house is called long house. All of the minority communities in the Western Highland have a Rong house in their village. ‘Rong’ House is the communal house used for the whole community. There is also a bigger and taller kind of Rong House than other Rong Houses in the village.
Architecture of Rong House
The characteristic of the minority’s houses in the Western Highland all have the only room. The floor is made of wood and has the staircase. Their house tends to have 2 staircases, one for men and the other for women.
The materials used for Rong House construction is from bamboo, woods in forests, alang grass. In the past, it often takes 2 to 3 years of preparation to build a build a Rong House. They need to come into the forest to collect some kinds of wood, chop them off and bring them home to make house’s pillar. Alang grass used to make house roof needs to be dried before using. Most Rong Houses have the shape of the hammer blade. But the Rong House of Ba Na people has the low floor and roof that is called the short Rong House in order to distinguish with other Rong House of Ja Rai people. Ja Rai’s Rong Houses are much taller. Their height can soar up to the sky (around 20m).
Nowadays it is really hard to find an original ‘Rong’ house across the Western Highland area because almost of them have been destroyed. Today Rong House is just a kind of Rong House model which is made of the cermet and their roof is made of tin.
Function of Rong House
The Rong House is where living activities of the whole village occurs. If there are any serious things happening, also for important ceremonies and festivals, village people will have a discussion together at the Rong House. As a result, this house is considered the divine place of the Western Highland villages.
One amazing thing is that women are not allowed to set foot on the Rong House. Ba Na people these days still remain that custom. A few Ja Rai people’s villages have been destroyed. So women are allowed to come to the Rong House that village uses the Rong House as a church.
The Rong House of the Western Highland people is where village people have a meet and single young men can come to sleep. Any single village men have the age of 15 and up have to come to the Rong House for sleeping.
The Rong House not only represents the unique architectural style of the highland region, but it also reflects the communal way of life and cultural identity of its people. The Rong House is a symbol of unity, strength, and cooperation, and it plays a crucial role in preserving the traditions and customs of the highland communities.
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Source: absoluteasiatravel.com