In the final days of 2005, scientists visited the traditional craft village of Tra Dong in Thieu Trung Commune, Thieu Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province to witness firsthand the artisans of the village experimenting with the traditional methods of casting Dong Son bronze drums.
The visit followed a seminar titled “Reviving the Traditional Dong Son Bronze Casting Craft“, held in Thanh Hoa City on December 30 and 31, 2005, attended by scientists from the Institute of Archaeology, the Vietnam National Museum of History, the Southeast Asian Prehistory Center, the Vietnam Historical Institute, the Thanh Hoa Antiquities Association, and the Thanh Hoa Historical and Museum Association.
The products cast during this event were complete bronze drums, without any welds or patches, featuring relatively sharp patterns. When struck, the drums produced a resonant sound without distortion, demonstrating a significant success.
On January 2, Mr. Bui Ta Son, Director of the Dong Son Traditional Bronze Casting Restoration Facility, announced that he and the artisans of Tra Dong village successfully cast a version of the Ngoc Lu drum after two failed attempts. This drum measures 73 cm in height, has a diameter of 60 cm, and weighs 115 kg. According to Mr. Son, due to some legal complications, this version of the bronze drum is not identical to the original Ngoc Lu drum, incorporating patterns from both the Ngoc Lu and Hoang Ha drums. Currently, the Ngoc Lu drum version has been submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). |
The drum casting site is located in an area rich in bronze drums and has a long-standing tradition of bronze casting, which remains active today. Therefore, it is likely that this craft village has inherited the expertise in drum casting from the Dong Son culture. Compared to the casting methods used by ancient Vietnamese artisans, today’s techniques exhibit several similarities:
1. The mold-making method involves three outer sections, consisting of one face mold and two body molds. The inner mold, also called “thao,” when combined with the outer mold forms a complete mold set. Research on the casting traces on Dong Son drums indicates a mold set similar to this, with the traces being the prominent lines remaining on the finished Dong Son drums.
2. The materials for the molds are traditional, comprising two basic components: clay and rice husks. Archaeological sites associated with the Dong Son culture, such as Lang Ca (Phu Tho), have revealed that ancient artisans also used molds made from these materials.
3. The choice of alloy consisting of copper, tin, and lead is a combination used by ancient craftsmen to cast Dong Son drums.
4. The creation of a system of positioning pins to secure the face and outer molds of the drum is also a technique employed by ancient artisans to prevent the molds from shifting during the pouring of metal. This is clearly reflected in the traces found on a significant number of Dong Son drums.
Tra Dong was once a famous craft village, with several hundred families relying on bronze casting to supply a variety of household items to both the mountainous and lowland regions. The village also houses a temple dedicated to the founder of the bronze casting craft, Khong Minh Khong. However, this craft village now faces the risk of extinction amid the whirlwind of the market economy. Currently, only 22 households still have the opportunity to “light the furnace” for casting.
