Situation of Mo Muong practice

“The Muong people still respect Mo today. They continue to arrange Mo funerals in accordance with the new way of life for the deceased. These days, only the most essential "roóng Mo" (repertoires of Mo) that are required to perform ceremonies remain. The principles of Mo will always be with the Muong people into the future as a cultural legacy and an essential part of Muong culture” - Citation:” Current status of Mo Muong cultural heritage proposal measures to preserve mo heritage in muong people's funerals”, opinion of Ms. Bui Thi Niem, No. 5 An Duong Vuong, Phuong Lam Ward, Hoa Binh City, Hoa Binh Province.

“Previously, Mo practicing in Muong people's funerals had to last from 5-7 nights, even 12 nights. Nowadays, the economy has developed and people depend on each family's circumstances, the time to organize Mo has changed.  Funerals can currently only be held within a 24-hour period and must comply with state legislation.  As a result, Mo can only be organized in one day.  Mo masters/Mo practitioners must be able to set time constraints in order to guarantee that important Mo rites can still be performed” - Interview: Mo practitioner Bui Van Kien, Cam Thanh, Cam Thuy, Thanh Hoa.

"The Mo tang ma (Mo for funerals) has the longest contents.   The funeral for the Muong people used to last for twelve days and nights in the past. Due to regional customs and municipal laws, funeral ceremonies for the Muong people are currently restricted to a duration of three days and two nights. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic caused the funeral ritual to be cut short, lasting only one day and one night. Less Mo repertoires and Mo parts are performed at funerals these days." - Citation: “Mo in funerals of the Muong people in Son La province”, Article by Mo practitioner Dinh Van En.

“Even if the Muong people's rituals are extremely valued, but because being a Mo practitioner requires working long hours and hard all day and night for very little income, the younger generation no longer chooses to pursue this career path in today's commercial environment.  This is a reason that no longer interested in this career, and it will probably vanish. The worshiping component will never disappear. However, other Mo rituals, such as Mo for longevity for the elderly over 80 years old have faded away a lot.” - Interview: the Mo practitioner Bui Van Nhuong (1955), Address: Ea Păl commune, Ea Kar district, Dak Lak province

Nowadays, Mo rituals are performed in shorter time, thus it is not possible to perform them completely. The epic “the Birth of the Earth and Water” for instance, is incredibly lengthy.  I have merely chosen a few of its most important contents so that I can finish it in one night.- Interview:  Mo practitioner Dinh Van Sinh (1961) – Long Khua village, Song Khua commune, Van Ho district, Son La province

“The ancient Mo tunes will surely disappear because there are no longer any people who have the time or interest to learn them. In some places, Mo practitioners do not use Mo repertoires; they simply pray." - Interview: Mo practitioner  Bui Van Chung (1988), Muong Chay Street, Vu Ban Town, Lac Son District, Hoa Binh Province

Mo Master

"The village's Mo practitioners and Mo masters are now elderly, there are no longer any future generations, and the younger generation nowadays tends to ignore their own culture in favor of other contemporary cultural streams." - Citation: Mo at the funeral of Muong people in Son La province, article by Mo practitioner Dinh Van En.

" Mo "Tleu" relates epic tales at funerals. Originally, it took five, seven, or even twelve nights to complete the epic story, which began with "Can dan". "Bringing the King back to the land of Dong Ky Tam Quan Ke Cho" is the title of the final section. However, it can only cover a very small percentage of funerals these days due to the 24-hour limit imposed by the State agreements; hence, it is steadily declining. Most people have never heard of the epic "The Birth of the Earth and Water" in its entirety. Due to its discontinuation, this has been lost." - Interview: Mo practitioner Bui Van Kien Cam Thanh village, Cam Thuy district, Thanh Hoa province.

“In the past, Muong people’s funerals can last from seven to fifteen nights. My "Mo master" is currently only teaching us the fundamental of Mo. I think I'll not need to study more if I stop working on other sections. My Mo master used to carry out funerals that lasted for seven or fifteen nights." - Interview: Mo practitioner Dinh Van Sinh (1961),  Address: Loong Khua village, Song Khua commune, Van Ho, Son La

“Nowadays, fewer and farther Mo practitioners/Mo masters who truly understand Muong culture.  There isn't much Mo Muong being passed on to the next generation. In several provinces, such as Dak Lak province, teaching Mo is getting harder and harder. Today's youth like to multitask and pay little attention to anything else. It is challenging for the elder generation to transmit the Mo Muong." - Interview: Mo practitioner Bui Van Chinh (1949), address: Ea O commune, Ea Kar district, Dak Lak province.

“Working all night is a really difficult part of Mo's profession. In the meanwhile, Mo Master's modest wage does not compensate him for his labor, which occasionally amounts to just a few hundred thousand dongs or perhaps one to two million dongs.   This is the reason why young people today are not taught about the Mo profession. They are paid more to work in industries. In the past, two to three Mo masters were required in every town; however, in certain places these days, Mo masters are nonexistent." - Interview: Mo practitioner Bui Van Dot, address: Dong Thuong hamlet, Dinh Cu commune, Lac Son district, Hoa Binh province

If the following generation does not regularly study and practise Mo, Mo repertoires will disappear. A lot of inexperienced Mo practitioners are just concerned with getting things done quickly and superficially; many repertoires are just condensed. - Interview: Mo practitioner Bui Van Dot, address: Dong Thuong hamlet, Dinh Cu commune, Lac Son district, Hoa Binh province.

The risk of language extinction

“The Mo Muong language uses many ancient Vietnamese - Muong words.   According to Nguyen Tu Chi's cosmology (3 levels - 4 worlds), ancient words are the names of locations and fabled historical figures. The Mo language is therefore magical, abstract, and both real and imagined.”

 “The Mo language is simple and honest. Some old words are hard to understand but they are valuable gems.  The most widely used metaphor, which conveys a deep meaning, is the simile from far to near.  To learn Mo, you must first understand the language. Understanding the Mo language requires connecting it to the performance setting, feeling, and context."

“The most unfortunate aspect is that the Muong people's remarkable language and beautiful Mo language are not transmitted through their historical writing. The possible extinction of Muong language, particularly Mo Muong language, for future generations is a significant cause for concern." - Citation: "The value of Mo Muong's literary language", artist Bui Van Noi's article

 Consensus and Desire for Heritage Restoration

The epic "The Birth of the Earth and Water" is a great favorite among the Muong people. However, there are people in their eighties who have never listened to this epic in its full. Because of this, Muong people typically anticipate hearing the full epic tale at least once in their lifetime. - Interview: Mo practitioner Bui Van Kien Cam Thanh, Cam Thuy, Thanh Hoa.

The Muong people would like to invite the Mo masters to the funeral when someone in the family passed away.  Additionally, Muong people also would like to invite a master who possess both the destiny of a Truong (shaman) and a Mo to participate in rites like Ke (healing the dead), relieve bad lucks… The family of the deceased still desired that Mo masters take care of dead’s souls in the Dead realm. If the family does not request it, the Mo master will not perform the passage of "Mo go to the heaven" (Mo len trời). The family now thinks that maybe after the funeral, they may succeed if Mo master finishes specific responsibilities like "Mo Nhin" (Mo for visiting places and the deceased's ancestor) and "Mo Ke Chuyen" (Story-telling Mo). As part of the customs and lifestyle of the Muong people, the elderly always wishes to ask Mo master to perform Mo repertoires during funerals.- Interview: Mo practitioner Bui Van Chung (1988), Muong Chay Street, Vu Ban Town, Lac Son District, Hoa Binh Province