30,000 exhibits of Central Highlands people collected by retired police officer

In the past tens of years, Colonel Dang Minh Tam has collected artifacts related to traditions, rituals and lifestyles of ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands.

In the past tens of years, Colonel Dang Minh Tam, former officer of the Lam Dong Provincial Police has overcome various difficulties going to rural villages to collect artifacts related to traditions, rituals and lifestyles of ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands in an attempt to preserve the soul of the ethnic minorities amid the “international integration” wave and “cultural artifacts drains”.

The number of artifacts of ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands collected by Mr. Tam has reached tens of thousands.

The “throne” of Elephant’s King. According to its owner, before hunts for elephants in the forest for domestication to serve people, young men from the villages had to ask Elephant’s King for permission. The King would then sit on the throne to perform several worshipping rituals.

After a trip to Lac Duong district with professors at Da Lat University, Tam began to make up a wooden statue of a young child climbing up stairs, which is placed next to a statue of a K’ho woman returning home from farming.

In his ancient Ché (a type of local people’s vase) collection, Tam showed us a special Ché of the Bahnar people, which was produced in the 13th century and cost some 15 water buffalos at the time. Tam said it is among the most precious Ché of the ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands.

A set of Đàn đá, a type of musical instruments made of stone in the primitive time before the advent of metalware, was collected and preserved perfectly by Tam.

Hundreds of musical instruments of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands are on display. Some are so rare that you can probably only see them here.

Various old ropes used to domesticate elephants and primitive weapons, such as bows, crossbows and knives, were also on display.

The bronze drums of the Dong Son culture discovered in the Central Highlands are also present in this exhibition area.

A knife used for an offering ceremony of the Koho people, which took Tam several years to buy.

Tam said, he has collected over 30,000 cultural and spiritual artifacts of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands. In addition to his exhibition at home that can meet demands of students and researchers, Tam also sent parts of his huge collection to exhibitions in various places.