(VOVworld) – The communal house of the Cotu, called a Guol, is where traditional village festivals take place to celebrate new rice, a bumper crop and brotherhood.

A Guol house exists in every Cotu village, whether the villagers are rich or poor. A Guol house is considered a sacred place inhabited by the gods and the ancestors. Unmarried girls are not allowed to enter. Quarrels and scuffles are prohibited. Bhriu Liec, a researcher of Cotu culture in Tay Giang district, Quang Nam province, said: “For generations, the Cotu have lived together. In a village, houses are arranged in the oval shape with a Guol house in the middle. The Bana and Ede ethnic groups have the Rong house, the Kinh majority have their communal house, and the Cotu have a Guol, which is the soul of our village. Besides being a sacred place for worshipping gods, the Guol house is where people tell village, country, and family stories and where major festivals are held. Therefore, the Guol house plays an extremely important role in the spiritual life and culture of the Cotu community”.

Traditionally, a Guol house has a principal pillar in the middle and 8 surrounding smaller pillars. The roof is made of a special kind of leave called corypha saribus and has the shape of a mango. The wattles are embossed with carvings of buffaloes, buffalo heads, and geckoes and scenes of the daily activities of the community such as men beating drums and women holding children. The Guol house is also a place for displaying musical instruments and skeletons of animals. The house is a symbolic structure for all villagers, demonstrating the power of the village. Village elder Y Kong, of Tong Coi hamlet in Dong Giang district, explains: “The Guol house is the traditional house of the Cotu. A village without a Guol house no longer has a traditional culture. That‘s why villagers do their best to build a Guol house, which may cost about 300 million VND. The villagers’ work is hardly calculated”.

As a result of wars and time, many Guol houses are deteriorating. The Quang Nam provincial authorities have made efforts to restore traditional Cotu culture, including old houses. To date, almost every hamlet has a Guol hous with Tay Giang district taking the lead in this effort. Situated on top of a hill is the district center, which consists of one  central Guol house and 10 others, representing 10 communes of the district. The architecture and decoration differs among Guol houses. Villager Briu Liec told VOV:“By preserving village culture, we preserve the traditional essence of the Cotu. I believe that the traditional Cotu culture will live forever through the Guol houses”.

80% of the hamlets in the Dong Giang and Nam Giang districts of Quang Nam province have Guol houses. Le Thi Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of the Dong Giang district People’s Committee, told VOV: “The district People’s Committee is encouraging the people to voluntarily contribute their land to build Guol houses. The construction is partly paid by the State, but most of it is contributed by the people. Some businesses also chip in. Some poorer hamlets use their own manpower. Local people fully support the building of Guol houses. We have issued a resolution on the restoration of Guol houses and preservation of other cultural values of the Cotu”.