Portraits of the Xo Dang ethnic minority people

Hi Hivers in the PhotoFeed community, today I would like to introduce to everyone a portrait of the Xo Dang ethnic minority. Xo Dang is one of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. The Xo Dang ethnic group is distributed mainly in the mountainous areas of Kon Tum province, where I live, and scatteredly in some other provinces such as Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Dak Lak and Gia Lai. I had the opportunity to go to the small villages of the Xo Dang people around where I live, and I really loved those people. So today I want to bring their image to the world.

Xo Dang ethnic people have a simple and happy life. They live mainly by farming and raising livestock. They grow rice, corn, sweet potatoes, cassava,...And they raise buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks,... Their lives are attached to trees and land. They live in harmony with the surrounding nature. And over time they have the skills to survive in the wild. They can go into the forest to hunt, and they can also catch fish in the river in their own way. Simple life has made honest and simple people. Despite the language barrier, I always feel very close to them.

Xo Dang ethnic people often live in small villages nestled in the forest. Small houses of households are built around a communal house. The communal house is the largest house built in the middle of the village and is the place where village events take place. The roof of the communal house is shaped like an ax blade facing the sky. The communal house and other houses in the village are built using natural materials such as wood, stones, clay, bamboo and leaves. Over time their construction techniques became more and more sophisticated. Although the houses are built by hand, their structure is very solid, and their architecture and patterns are very delicate.

The village elder is the most powerful person in the village of the Xo Dang. Village elders are usually the oldest people in the village and have the experience, knowledge and morals to lead the villagers. The name of the Xo Dang is not accompanied by a surname. Men's names simply have an A in front of them, for example, when going into the village, people often call me A Do. And the female name has Y in front, for example your name is Mary, when entering the village, people will call you Y Mary. The Xo Dang ethnic group treat men and women equally. They do not distinguish between stepchildren and common children, biological and adopted children, their own children and those of their brothers.

The cultural and spiritual life of the Xo Dang ethnic group is quite diverse. Xo Dang men enjoy sports, dancing, singing, gongs, sculpture, statue-making and carpentry. They often like to show their strength through taming animals, going to the jungle, farming and hunting. Xo Dang women also enjoy sports activities, dancing, singing, weaving and embroidery. They regularly practice and perform traditional dances of the Xo Dang people. Most of their costumes are made by them. Xo Dang women are very attentive and hardworking in farming and taking care of their families.

According to them, the Xo Dang ethnic group has about 13 large and small festivals in a year. Most festivals have the purpose of bringing together the members of the village. And some festivals are to pray for something such as weather, crops, gods. During festivals, they often together prepare, cook, play sports, eat, dance, and sing. Their festivals usually last a day and all the villagers participate. The community cohesion among the Xo Dang ethnic group is very strong. I have been to some of their festivals and I was treated very well. I greatly appreciate their solidarity.

Below are the photos I have taken of portraits of the Xo Dang ethnic group. I hope this post helps you understand more about the Xo Dang ethnic group and that you like the pictures too. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and have a nice day.