Longhouse not around for much longer

Lao Dong

The “nha dai” longhouse, a communal living space used by the E De and M’nong ethnic minorities, could end up as a relic of the past if young couples continue to shy away from sharing their home with the rest of the family.

The longhouse was once a common sight in the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen.

But while there are no official figures available, local authorities say the “nha dai” is on the brink of disappearing from the matriarchal societies.

Today, newly-married brides prefer building separate houses to living with their husbands in extensions of already built longhouses.

The longhouse, made of timber and other materials readily available in the jungle, comprises a shared living room, or “gah”, and as many bedrooms, or “ok”, needed to match the number of couples in the family.

Some houses grow to longer than 100 meters.

The E De, who cultivate rice in submerged fields, are so proud of their long houses they describe them as: “as long as the gong’s echo.”

The gong, a musical instrument synonymous with the ethnic minorities, is always placed in the living room of the longhouse, its echo resounding in each family and community festival.

The gongs and the length of “nha dai” represent the wealth and power of its owners.

Fading to black

The village of Kon K’Tu in Kon Tum Province’s Dak Ro Wa Commune is an example of the gradual disappearance of the longhouse.

From its inception in the nineteenth century till its peak in the 1990s, the village was home to over 100 of the “nha dai” .

But over the past two decades, as construction materials have become more easily accessible and the rural road network developed, the glory days of the longhouse began to dim.

Today the little communities are punctuated by small private homes for couples, surrounding the unique longhouse, which now serves as little more than a ceremonial hall for the clans.

And that is where the “nha dai” may end up. A cultural footnote, but never again the societal lynchpin so tied to the lives of the E De and M’nong people.

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