Residents of the Muong Hoa Valley at Vietnam‘s northernmost (Sapa Vietnam) point tell many stories about a mysterious field of rocks near Sapa. Long ago, a local chieftain is said to have issued a curse: “Descendants who fail to make ritual sacrifices to the mountain deities will be persecuted": The wedding and funeral customs oflocal Mong and Red Dao peoples all relate to this curse. And yet scientists are still debating the story’s origins.
The Sapa Ancient Rock Field spans eight square kilometers and features nearly 200 rocks of different sizes. The site was brought to international attention by a Russian-born French archeologist named Dr. Glubev from the Louis Finot Research Institute in 1925. It is located within the three communes of Hau Thao, Su Pan and Ta Van in Lao Cai Province. For over 80 years, this rock-strewn field has attracted hundreds of domestic and foreign researchers looking for answers about the mysterious carvings on the rocks.
Rocks of various sizes lie humbly by the clear stream of Hoa. On their rough surfaces we can see symbolic carvings of the sun,
distorted circles, six pointed stars, trigram wheels and grotesque characters. Tourists are fascinated by the carvings and the scattered boulders. In Hau Thao, the rocks are concentrated in two areas. In the Mong hamlet of Pho, a handful oflarge rocks measure up to 12m. The locals refer to the rock field near Pho Hamlet as “the largest book left by our ancestors” thanks to its dense and diverse carvings.
Strolling to the Red Dao villages at the borders of Hau Thao and Lao Chai communes, visitors are overwhelmed by a vast field with more than 100 rocks. Many of the carving patterns are unique. The locals refer to this site as “Heaven’s library”.
An outstanding image is the symbol of the sun. Encircling heaven and earth are two swathes of patterns that run continuously from the Northwest to the Southeast. Perhaps our ancestors carved their vision of the cosmos in the Sapa Ancient Rock Field, claiming that both the sun and the Earth I were rotating circular globes. Their rotation I is portrayed with a helix from the center to
I symbolize the inner strength of the globe. In the outermost helix lies a carving of a tree branch to represent vitality. The branch has two leaf buds leaning eastwards, as if heading for the spring in accordance with the principles of Yin- Yang and the Five Elements. The earth is a small square.
According to some accounts by ethnologists and historians, the carvings in the Sapa Ancient Rock Field can be classified into main groups such as Images of Couples, I Structural Circles of Hoa Loc Cultural Era I and Stripes of the I -ching. Diverse and rich, I all of these carvings are exceptionally clear, representing a time when humans were totally reliant and in tune with nature.
Most scientists agree that the Sapa Ancient Rock Field was created by people of different ethnicities throughout many historical eras. Based on the settlement patterns of the Tay and Mong in Sapa about three to nine centuries ago, scientists doubt that the carvings were made during this period. Images usually represent phenomena and events familiar to people’s daily lives such as houses, fields and sacrifice rituals. Most of the carvings explain the origins and movements of the universe.
MOST SCIENTISTS AGREE THAT THE SAPA ANCIENT ROCK FIELD WAS CREATED BY PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES THROUGHOUT MANY HISTORICAL ERAS.
In October 1994, the Sapa Ancient Rock Field was acknowledged as a historical site of national significance by the Ministry of Culture and Information. It’s on the way to being recognized as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. As well as conveying the primeval beauty of ancient Vietnamese art, the rock field also shows that “Vietnam is one of the cradles of human civilization.”
Story Thu Le & Chi Hoa of VietnamCP
Silent Stones at Sapa Vietnam
First post at: Vietnam Culture
No comments:
Post a Comment