Laos and Ethnic Minority Cultures: Promoting Heritage Edited by Yves Goudineau
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Laos and Ethnic Minority Cultures: Promoting Heritage Edited by Yves Goudineau UNESCO PUBLISHING MEMORY OF PEOPLES 34_Laos_GB_INT 26/06/03 10:24 Page 1 Laos and Ethnic Minority Cultures 34_Laos_GB_INT 26/06/03 10:24 Page 3 Laos and Ethnic Minority Cultures: Promoting Heritage Edited by YVES GOUDINEAU Memory of Peoples | UNESCO Publishing 34_Laos_GB_INT 7/07/03 11:12 Page 4 The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this book and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. UNESCO wishes to express its gratitude to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its support to this publication through the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust for the Safeguarding and Promotion of Intangible Heritage. Published in 2003 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, place de Fontenoy F-75352 Paris 07 SP Plate section: Marion Dejean Cartography and drawings: Marina Taurus Composed by La Mise en page Printed by Imprimerie Leclerc, Abbeville, France ISBN 92-3-103891-5 © UNESCO 2003 Printed in France 34_Laos_GB_INT 26/06/03 10:24 Page 5 5 Foreword YVES GOUDINEAU It is quite clear to every observer that Laos owes part of its cultural wealth to the unique diversity which resides in the bosom of the different populations that have settled on its present territory down the ages, bringing with them a mix of languages, beliefs and aesthetic traditions. Side by side with Lao culture as such, the very many ‘ethnic minorities’ that are an important part – close on half – of the popula- tion of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (numbering some 5 million persons living in an area comparable to that of the United Kingdom) have engendered a considerable number of local cultures that have retained their vigour despite the vagaries that the region has known throughout its history. This wealth, however, is growing ever more fragile. So it was that, in order to study ways and means of protecting these cultural minorities, an ‘International Expert Meeting for the Safeguarding and Promotion of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Ethnic Minority Groups of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic’ was held in Vientiane from 7 to 12 October 1996. Coming very shortly after a similar meeting in Hanoi in March 1994, it was prepared by UNESCO at the request of the Lao Commission for UNESCO. The organizers had it in mind to assess the opportunity created by this multi-ethnicity, to make it better known and appreciated and, considering the very real danger of degradation or depreciation of these local 34_Laos_GB_INT 26/06/03 10:24 Page 6 6 and sometimes very ancient heritages, to propose practical whether they come from academics or international experts measures for their protection. The present work consists of striving for objectivity, or from local administrators facing the papers that were addressed to that conference by the immediate difficulties. In line with the wishes of the Lao participants. authorities, we have left the texts in their original contrastive state rather than make arbitrary cuts: hence the The matter of safeguarding minority cultures calls for authors alone are responsible for the content of their papers. collective awareness, not only of a scientific nature, but of a These contrasts mirror the terms of the dialogue and are a moral and political nature too; hence the participation at reminder that, on the one hand, it is both necessary and the meeting of actors from a variety of fields. These urgent to generate local skills in regard to research or included, on the one hand, researchers, specialists in management of minority heritage and that, on the other, the certain ethnic groups, and experts in the protection of task ahead is not an easy one and calls for national effort and intangible cultural heritage from Laos and other Asian or international co-operation. The Vientiane Declaration, given Western countries who came to share their experience; on in annex to the present work, was adopted at the closure of the other hand, Lao officials from the culture and education the meeting and may be regarded as the charter of this sectors and mass organizations (including the Lao Front for collective scientific and political commitment to safe- National Construction, the Women’s Union, the Youth guarding and promoting the ethnic minority cultures of the Movement) were present in order to trace their vision of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). the integration of cultural diversity into a national setting. The occasion resulted in a wide variety of approaches and The more than thirty contributions to this work are opinions, some of them contradictory, all of which may be grouped in four parts. An introductory section gives a found here. Several speakers voiced the need for an inven- picture of the minority cultures of the Lao PDR and the tory of the impressive cultural wealth that is scattered urgent tasks that have to be carried out in order to save throughout the country (plurality of languages, diversity of them. Part Two deals with the various dimensions of the YVES GOUDINEAU oral literature and of musical or architectural forms, and intangible cultural heritage: languages and literatures, variety of ritual practices) and for a presentation of the forms of musical expression, architectural types and preliminary results of projects to this end. Others chose to weaving skills. Several case-studies bear out the diversity of examine the threat hanging over very many cultures, in local cultures (Brou, Katu, Tai Dam and so forth) or indi- particular those of groups whose numbers had fallen. Yet cate the importance of urban minorities. Part Three then others made the point that the protection of cultural presents the experience of neighbouring countries plurality should not put a brake on development policies (Cambodia, China, Thailand and Viet Nam) as regards nor hinder the government’s priority aim of achieving a maintaining cultural diversity, while Part Four recalls a national culture belonging to all. number of national initiatives or co-operation projects already carried out in the field in Laos. Several contribu- Thanks to the quality of the specialists at the meeting, the tions report on similar research or projects that were under present work contains a good deal of data, some of them way or planned in Laos itself at the time of the 1996 new, on certain aspects of the minority cultures being meeting, some of which have come to an end in the mean- considered. The reader should, however, bear in mind that time and have resulted in publications. Yet others were the this is not a scientific synthesis of the different cultures of direct result of the meeting – the first of its kind in the Lao Laos, nor yet an inventory. The dearth of reliable data on PDR – which was intended to spark off the promotion of very many ethnic groups, not to say entire regions – a fact the cultural heritage of minorities and pave the way for new that was regretted again and again throughout the proceed- co-operation: such initiatives included the setting-up of an ings – also contributes to the hazardous nature of this type ethnographic data and photo bank which is intended in of project. The ethnolinguistic data, for instance – albeit due course to take in all the ethnic minorities in the uncertain at the best of times – are still so incomplete in the country. case of Laos that it has so far proved impossible to draw up ethnonymic maps that meet with the approval of specialists. It has been no easy task to group these texts which were It should also be noted that, in addition to the diversity of drafted in several languages, and which took considerable standpoints referred to above, the levels of analysis in these time in rewriting and translation. We wish to thank all papers vary considerably: they reflect different academic those who contributed to this burdensome task: firstly, traditions and contrasting criteria of appraisal depending on Georges Condominas, an advocate of the Vientiane meeting 34_Laos_GB_INT 26/06/03 10:24 Page 7 7 who kindly agreed to review the texts as a whole and give them his seal of approval, and, secondly, Houmphanh Rattanavong and all his colleagues at the Lao Institute for Cultural Research (IRC) for checking and finalizing the texts of the Lao researchers and officials. Nor should we forget the members of the UNESCO Secretariat who were involved in this project. The collection of photographs was put together by Marion Dejean and benefited from her excellent knowledge of the Lao provinces. A word of thanks too to all those, including Vat Daokham, David Oconnor and Nicolas Menut, whose patience in building bridges helped us to move things forward between English, French, Lao and Vietnamese. May the surge to protect and promote the cultural heritage of the ethnic minorities of Laos, as described in this book, remain not merely an expression of intent but take the form of action research out of respect for populations that carry ‘other’ cultures so that these may be better understood. 34_Laos_GB_INT 26/06/03 10:24 Page 9 9 Contents List of contributors 12 Distribution of Lao population by Ethnolinguistic Groups 14 Map of the Lao PDR Ethnolinguistic Groups 15 Part One INTRODUCTION Safeguarding and Promoting the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Lao Minority Groups Georges Condominas 19 A Multi-Ethnic Culture Houmphanh Rattanavong 27 Managing the Intangible Cultural Heritage Yves Goudineau 33 Part Two DIMENSIONS OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE A.