| Description |
The Ê Đê people call the epic "Khan". The person who told the story and performed the epic was Po Khan. Khan is a work of folk literature, reflecting the worldview and outlook on life of the Ê Đê people. The main content of the Khan singing is the divine world, the relationship of humans with the gods; the lives, actions, and merits of national heroes and cultural heroes in their work of conquering nature, protecting humanity, and protecting the community; love between men and women; family love; working life, production, and community activities. Khan Singing is practiced in the form of storytelling. Po Khan sings while using gestures and facial expressions to describe the actions, personalities, and psychology of the characters in front of the audience. The lyrics are in rhyme form. When singing, there is musical accompaniment. The main performance space is the long house (where family and community activities and rituals take place), the cemetery (during the grave leaving ceremony), and the field hut (a place to rest in the evening, after a day of hard labor). The Ê Đê people perform Khan on festivals, or during leisure time from December to March of the lunar calendar, which is the "season of eating, drinking, and drinking". |
