Benefiting from policies supporting the development of ethnic minorities, the life of the Si La people has gradually improved. However, like many other ethnic minorities, the Si La are facing the risk of losing their traditional cultural identity.

The “Bản Ceremony” is a traditional cultural practice of the Si La people, held in the second lunar month, before the harvest season begins. According to the village elder Hù Chà Thái, during the ceremony, the Si La people only offer raw food, not cooked food. After the ceremony, the villagers cook the offerings, spread banana leaves, and place the cooked offerings (blessings from the deities) for the heads of families, gatekeepers, and shamans to partake in. Throughout the ceremony, the village remains in a state of “internal peace, external harmony,” where community members must not argue or quarrel, and families should be close-knit, warm, and united.

According to Hù Chà Thái, the Si La people believe that performing the Bản Ceremony is a way to ask the deities, heaven, and earth to bless the village with abundant crops, bountiful harvests, healthy people, and prosperous livestock. This ceremony is a significant ritual in Si La culture, passed down from generation to generation.

Along with the “Bản Ceremony,” the Si La people have many other distinctive customs. These include rituals related to family, community, festivals, beliefs, and agricultural practices such as: Seed sowing rituals, prayers for a good harvest, the celebration of new rice, mourning rituals, weddings, and childbirth. However, these symbolic rituals are gradually fading, with the Si La people currently only maintaining the “Bản Ceremony,” the celebration of new rice, and Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday. Many traditional cultural practices of the Si La people are at risk of being lost.

The elders in Nậm Sin village have shared that in the past, the Si La people often used songs and chants to express their feelings. They sang to celebrate the aging of children, to celebrate weddings, for courtship between young couples, and even to replace the sorrowful cries during mourning rituals. During festivals and holidays, the villagers would organize singing and dancing events joyfully. The songs were smooth and captivating, and the dances were lively and enchanting. Nowadays, due to the lack of opportunities for entertainment and cultural activities, the traditional folk songs and dances are gradually disappearing. These once-vibrant performances are now being replaced by modern music.

In addition to the folk songs, traditional Si La handicrafts, particularly weaving, are also fading away. The Si La people used bamboo and rattan to create strong, durable products with simple techniques. The main products were baskets, trays, rattan mats, tools for farming, fishing equipment (baskets, bags, fish traps, nets, etc.), and ceremonial items. Weaving was not only a livelihood but also an art form that preserved the memories of the ethnic group.

However, nowadays, traditional items made from bamboo and rattan are becoming rarer as the villagers have shifted to using plastic and nylon materials for household items. The traditional craft of weaving is at risk of extinction, as the younger generation is no longer participating in this practice.

Leading us to visit families in Nậm Sin, village head Lỳ Hồng Sơn could not hide his sadness as he observed that since integrating with lowland communities, many intangible cultural values of the Si La, passed down for generations, now only exist in the memories and subconscious of the elderly. The younger generation in the village mostly does not know, or has very limited knowledge of, some of the traditional customs and cultures of their people.

In order to collect, restore, and preserve the traditional craft and cultural identity of the Si La community, in July 2024, the Điện Biên provincial Museum, in collaboration with Mường Nhé district People’s Committee, organized a traditional weaving training class for over 20 Si La students in Nậm Sin village.

Đặng Trọng Hà, Director of the Điện Biên provincial Museum, said: “This is one of the effective activities that allows artisans and respected figures in the community to teach the younger generation of the Si La how to understand and practice the traditional weaving techniques. This will not only help restore and preserve their cultural heritage but also enrich the spiritual life of the Si La people. Over the years, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has increased resources and means for preserving both tangible and intangible Si La culture, such as reviving endangered cultural forms, compiling, translating, and preserving oral literature and folk knowledge, and providing financial support for the Si La to participate in cultural, sports, and tourism activities, helping them maintain and promote their unique cultural values.”

Mường Nhé district has organized traditional costume-making and weaving classes in Nậm Sin and supported the promotion of Si La crafts. The Chung Chải commune People’s Committee has purchased traditional musical instruments and invited Si La artisans from Seo Hai village, Mường Tè district, Lai Châu province, to Nậm Sin to teach local villagers folk songs, dances, and games.

Along with development projects to support and preserve culture, it must be acknowledged that the most important and central role in preserving and developing traditional culture lies with the Si La people themselves. The community is where culture is born, developed, and passed down through generations. Only when the Si La people truly understand the value of their traditional culture and take responsibility for preserving it can these cultural values be sustainably preserved and promoted in their lives.