Artisan H Bliu Hwing teaches her granddaughter H’Lana to sing eirei and play the ding nam. (Photo: H'Zawut Bya/Central Highlands-based VOV correspondent)

The deep voice of H Bliu Hwing resounds through the Central Highlands forests and mountains. Her singing touches listeners' hearts with songs about faithful love and an aspiration for prosperity.

“The songs express longing, and describe the beauty of friendship, love, homeland, and the desire to build prosperous and beautiful villages,” said H Bliu Hwing.

Eirei singing has a lively, relaxed rhythm and is performed in public places using rhythmic, poetic speech. In earlier times, Eirei was performed at Ede festivals and, during funerals, was accompanied by the dinh nam flute. As the genre evolved, it came to be accompanied by a variety of instruments on different occasions.

“From ancient times, our forefathers have passed down traditional folk genres like Eirei and Kut singing, two precious and unique cultural features of our people. We must cherish and preserve them,” H Bliu Hwing said.

H Bliu Hwing developed a great passion for singing in her childhood. She expresses her emotions, life experiences, and inner strength in every melody and lyric.

As H Bliu Hwing sings: “What has brought you here? My house is poor, its beams are shaky. All I have is a loyal heart. If we become husband and wife, I will keep the fire burning with dry wood from my mother’s garden. But I fear your family might look down on my humble house, so I dare not confess. If the elders blessed our bond, how joyful I would be, hand in hand together, climbing the slopes to the fields. Though sun and wind beat upon us, I vow to keep our love true.”

12-year-old H’Lana Hwing, granddaughter of H Bliu Hwing, says that whenever her grandmother sings eirei, her grandfather sits beside her playing the đinh năm while the family gathers to listen. This has nurtured in H’Lana a love for folk singing.

“I really love listening to grandma singing eirei. It is a beautiful cultural feature of the Ede people. In the future I’ll learn more to preserve it,” H’Lana said.

Y-Novel Hwing, head of Buon Tu village, says H Bliu Hwing is a role model in preserving Ede folk music. “H Bliu Hwing is famous for her sweet voice. She is not only talented but also active in local cultural activities. Her singing inspires, uplifts, and brings people together.”

At the age of 70, H Bliu Hwing is still passionate about preserving traditional culture. Her songs perpetuate the memory of many generations of Ede people.