| Description |
The Bana people call epics "Homon", a type of epic born at the end of the primitive communal period, reflecting the history, society, indigenous knowledge, thoughts, and aspirations of the community. It is an epic song, a panorama of the past, which explains natural and social phenomena such as the formation of heaven and earth and humans, recreates wars, and describes customs and traditions of ethnics. In particular, the central theme throughout revolves around national heroes and cultural heroes of the community. Each Hơmon Epic Singing work recreates the three tasks of the hero: getting married, working in production, and fighting the enemy. Each task is not separate but linked and has a cause-and-effect relationship with each other: getting a wife, stealing a wife, and regaining a wife means enhancing strength, prestige, expanding territory, winning people's hearts, income, increasing production, creating wealth, food, gather warriors, fight to protect the village. Hơmon Epic Singing is performed by artisans in the evening, next to the fire of the communal house's fire. They can lie down or sit to sing about the characters in front of the audience. A singing session can last many nights, so Hơmon artists not only know the songs but also have to have good health, good voice, and endurance. |
