It is the primeval forest, also known as the green ironwood forest in Da Huc village. At the edge of the forest, an ancient communal house, quietly looking out at the settlement of the Cao Lan people. You have to take a shortcut through the fields to get to the courtyard. In the middle of the hot summer afternoon, sitting in the corner of the courtyard under an old old tree, the feeling of coolness rushed over, everyone felt comfortable.
To Van Thanh, head of the village, said that the green ironwood forest of the Cao Lan people has existed for a long time, the forest is about 6 hectares wide with nearly 200 green iron roots and many different types of precious wood. Over the years, the ironwood forest has been cared for and protected by the people as if it were their own precious treasure.
Currently, there is no professional agency to confirm the age of the iron tree, but Thanh heard from the elderly people in the village that the forest has existed for a long time. And the old Ban To Van Quang (82 years old) said: “Since I was a child, the forest has already existed. In my father’s life, he was also born in the ironwood forest!” Mr. Nguyen Cong Hiep, cultural officer of Binh Son commune shared: “Today thanks to the development of science and technology, determining the tree’s age is not difficult, but there is still no competent authority to do this!”.
Many people guess that the iron trees in front of the house are about 100 to 200 years old. The two ironwood trees on the left of the communal house are about 50m high, the canopy is about 25m wide, the trunk is too big for three people to hug. The iron trees at the back of the communal house line up in rows that are somewhat smaller. How old is the green ironwood forest is still an open question, but there are many mysterious and sacred stories around the forest and the ancient communal house.
Elder To Van Quang said: “The forest is very sacred because it is associated with the ancient communal house where Cao Son is worshiped, the forest god (the mother of the land), the Earth god, the Nong god and the girl at the door of the forest.” . As a challenge with the times, the green ironwood forest once avoided many arrows and bullets in the war against foreign invaders. The areas of Mai Su, Nghe Man and Da Huc used to take place fierce raids by the invading French colonialists, many raids by the French invaders, making this mountainous area desolate, but the forest is still green.
Still according to Mr. Quang, in 1948, the French invaders parachuted into Mai Suu, sweeping into Nghe Man, Da Huc village, killing an innocent citizen. In the midst of the French invaders sweeping and killing good people, Gia Ban calmly went to the forest to worship at the communal house. Everyone in the version does not understand why. This is probably only the Old Man knows. Because he strongly believes in the Spirit, the Forest God will protect his people. Sure enough, after praying to the forest god to protect the people in the village and drive away the invading French invaders, it rained heavily. When the flood water came back, the French invaders had to find a way to flee. Since then, the Cao Lan people have been at peace.
According to Mr. Thanh, the village chief, in 2003 the loggers, after repeatedly bargaining with the village head to buy ironwood forest, but could not, they plotted to cut the roots of the green ironwood trees so that they would die. In the middle of the night of the 30th New Year, forest robbers let a group of people in to saw the roots of the largest iron tree, while they were in action, they were discovered by the people, and the crooks fled. The local authorities informed the commune authorities to make a record and sent the militia and self-defense forces to guard the forest. It is known that the other group of loggers are also bad people near the village, later on, their family life is chaotic, buffaloes and cows die, they have to go to Da Huc communal house next to the green ironwood forest to perform a gray repentance ceremony. Since then, people in the village are self-aware of their responsibility to preserve and protect the forest as their guardian deity.
I don’t know since when, Da Huc communal house next to the green ironwood forest has become very sacred and is the pride and respect of the Cao Lan people here. That’s why no one dares to cut down any tree branches in the ironwood forest. Every year on the festival day of March 15 or the official days of the Cao Lan people, people go up to clean the communal house, then distribute weeds to take care of the evergreen forest. Whenever there is a big family event, the ethnic people often bring offerings to the communal house to pray to the forest god for luck and peace.
Not far away when the spiritual route 293 attached to the West Yen Tu slope is completed, it will be very convenient to return to Da Huc village. At that time, the green ironwood forest and the ancient communal house will be an attractive spiritual and ecological tourist attraction for a large number of tourists near and far.
Source: Collected internet.