Mythologies of the Flower Lo Lo Tribe


The Flower Lo Lo are an elaborately decorated ethnic minority people found in the Dong Van rocky plateau of Ha Giang Province, north Vietnam. Each Lo Lo woman's traditional outfit is a real work of art. It is a kaleidoscopic, hand-embroidered burst of colour typically taking one to two years to complete each set. Their costumes are meticulously embellished with approximately 4000 hand appliquéd triangles representing mountains, chickens feet and other meaningful symbols. Every March, the Lo Lo conduct a festival to pray to the Spirits for rain before rice harvest.


The Lo Lo ethnic group can be divided into Flower Lo Lo and Black Lo Lo. Living in Lung Cu since ancient time, the Lo Lo people have made many efforts in reclaiming the virgin land and in grasping to this northernmost part of the country. The Lo Lo folkloric culture is very rich and unique, demonstrated with dances, songs, legends. The decoration on their turbans, shirts, skirts and trousers are particularly colourful. The Lo Lo calendar divides a year into 11 months, each corresponding to an animal’s name. The ancient bronze drumps are the holy thing of the Lo Lo people, burried for protection and sometimes dug out only for use. The head of each family is entitled to keep the drumps which are used only during funerals or festivals to maintain rythms for dances. The Lo Lo people are among the few ethnic groups in Vietnam who still use bronze drums, a traditional musical instrument closely associated with a legend about the Flood. According to the legend, a catastrophic flood took place to raise water up to the sky. The God saved a girl and her younger brother by putting the girl in a big bronze drum and the boy in a small bronze drum. When the flood retreated, the sister and brother stayed on in the mountains, becoming a couple, the re-Creator of the mankind.The Lo Lo people’s perception on Yin and Yang, on birth is perhaps still preserved by playing at the same time the male and female drums. The drums are hanged on a stand at the feet of the dead, facing to each other. The drummer stands in between, playing alternately each drum with only one end of the same drumstick. Only single men or married men but whose wives are not pregnant can play the drums. The bronze drums are not only a precious asset but also a holy instrument. Only with the sound of the drums can the soul of the dead find the way to return to the birthplace of his/her ancestors.


Lo Lo is one of the ethnic groups with a long history of development in Dong Van area, Ha Giang province. Although coexisting with other ethnic groups in Ha Giang, the Lo Lo ethnic group still retains its long-standing traditional culture. The people are divided into two small groups : the Lo Lo Den (Black Lo Lo) and the Lo Lo Hoa (Flower Lo Lo). The Black Lo Lo live mainly in Lung Cu commune, while the Flower Lo Lo live in Lung Tao and Sung La communes in Dong Van and Meo Vac districts. The two small groups of Lo Lo people share many same characteristics such as the same language, custom and belief. The difference between them comes from each other’s clothing. The Lo Lo ethnic people reside in separate villages. Their houses leaning against cliffs overlook the valley or towards the fields. They build either Nha trinh tuong (beaten-cob houses) or houses on stilts, depending on the conditions of each family. The fence is made of stone, about 1 meter high. San Pa A village is one of the few Lo Lo people's villages that still retain much of their traditional construction. Tourists may drop by to visit San Pa A to discover Lo Lo people's lives. From the outside, their residence is not much different from the cob constructions of other ethnic groups. However when you look closely at the furnishings and the interior space, you will clearly see the difference. Each cottage is composed of 3 compartments, the middle one functioning as a living room, the right one for grandparents and parents, the left one for sons, daughters, son-in-laws and daughter-in-laws. The ground floor serves to store food, corn and cassava.


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Flower Lo Lo Tribe


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