Abstract
Because the Dong people have no written language, their folk culture is passed from one generation to another primarily through oral transmission. However, their means of transmission is not through the spoken word but rather through singing. Music is deemed the most suitable transmission medium for young people, and this process still continues today. In the pipa (bic bac in their own lauguage) music of the Dong people, as well as songs for traditional ritual, there are love songs, songs for marriage, songs for everday life, songs of heroes and songs about traditional morals. The songs are, therefore, educational.
The singers of the pipa songs make use of both traditional lyrics as well as making their own in response to current social demands. In these, they encourage the young to value their youth, to love life and to work hard.
The Dong people's pipa songs function as a means of creating communication and relations between young men and women. People who do not belong to the Dong cultural sphere cannot participate in these songs. In the area of the Dong people, the songs are not limited to young lovers but are used for marriage proposals, go-betweens, the selection of a lucky day and in obtaining a wife. The Dong people's pipa songs are, therefore, a crystallisation of the knowledge and creativity of the Dong people as well as being a means of entertainment. If one excludes the songs which are solemn in content, the pipa songs are generally for enjoyment and for changing one's temper.
After a long day's work, the young people sing and play the pipa songs and express affection to their lover. Elderly pipa players tell stories full of vitality for future generations. From the stories covering all and sundry, from knowledge of the ways and lessons of life to funny stories, the pipa songs tell all.
