2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

A Study of the Dynamics of Gong Culture in Central Vietnam: Focusing on the Manufacture and Distribution of Musical Instruments

Research Project

Project/Area Number	24810033
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Area studies
Research Institution	National Museum of Ethnology
Principal Investigator	YANAGISAWA EISUKE 国立民族学博物館, 民族社会研究部, 外来研究員 (00637134)
Project Period (FY)	2012-08-31 – 2014-03-31
Keywords	ゴング文化 / ベトナム / 鋳造 / 楽器の製作 / 楽器の流通 / 民族誌映画
Research Abstract	This study aimed to reveal the dynamics of the gong culture in Central Vietnam focusing on the manufacture and distribution of musical instruments as a first step toward the overall understanding of the gong culture in Southeast Asia. As a result of my fieldwork, the details of gong casting method in the village of Kinh people in North Central Coast of Vietnam and a part of the current status of gong sales to the ethnic minorities were revealed. In addition, the study revealed that gongs were traded across villages and ethnic boundaries among some ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.