Far and away

Driving through a rocky plateau amongst the mountains of Ha Giang province, I find the small village I have been looking for -- Ma Le commune of Dong Van District, home to a small population belonging to the Giay hill tribe.

When I arrive the regular weekend market is underway. The sky is clear and blue, the sun is rising brightly. I can hear the melodious sound of dan moi (bamboo harp) in the air. Groups of Mong, Lo Lo, Pu Peo ethnic people walk towards the fair armed with bundles of vegetables, bunches of chili, chickens, ducks, black pigs and alcohol. Going to Ma Le market on the weekend is a routine for the communities living all around Lung Cu mountain. People will make the trip come rain or shine.

Near the market a striking group of Giay girls emerge wearing sapphire-blue costumes as if showcasing the local fashion. The market in Ma Le is boisterous and crowded and I’m not in the mountainous northeast to shop. Instead I slip way from the throng of people, following the sapphire blue blouses walking towards their village.

Located nearby Lung Cu mountain peak, Ma Le village is home to merely 20 households. The Giay people often live close to other hill tribes and have friendly ties with Mong, Lo Lo Chai and Pu Peo villages while still retaining their own unique characteristics.

The villagers cultivate rice in submerged terraced fields and grow corn on the rocky fields. Buffaloes and horses are kept for agriculture and transport purposes, while pigs and poultry are kept for meat and sacrificial purposes.

As I wander around the village I find a local clinic, a flat roofed house with five clean beds and no patients. The villagers don’t come here when they’re sick. Instead, I’m told they go to the local healer Lo Dinh Thieu. When I arrive at his house, there are six people waiting for him to feel their pulse and prescribe herbal medicines.

Till now Giay people still use herbal medicines and remedies bequeathed by their ancestors. Thieu possesses hundreds of remedies, which have been handed down orally – there is no written documentation. Whenever he needs more medicine he just disappears into the forest to collect some. There are some seemingly backward rules in the village, for example, Giay women cannot call a doctor or go to a clinic or hospital when giving birth.

VietNamNet/Time-out