"Tear of water" K'nam

The "drop of water" of K'nam village is located under an ancient banyan tree that is more than 60 years old. We came to visit K'nam water drop in the early morning of a day in November. The cool autumn weather of Kon Tum is even cooler when standing under the canopy of banyan leaves. Mrs. Vot, nearly 70 years old, told us about the "drop of water" coming from the banyan tree. From the past, she followed her mother to the drop of water to get water for daily life. In the past, the villagers carried water to the tank by means of umbrella trees, today the government has built a water collection area and uses PVC pipes to conduct water.

While talking with Mrs. Vot, two motorbikes carrying 4-5 teenagers brought plastic bottles to get water to make the air in the drop of water more vibrant. According to Ms. Vot, every afternoon with a "drop of water" is the most fun. There, children and young people cool off. The girls go to the laundry. There, they chat with each other, a space to meet the community for information, to exchange work or to discuss the upcoming festival of the village.

In Kon Tum Ko Nam village, villagers have set a rule, not to tie buffaloes and cows near water drops, and not to litter indiscriminately into drops of water. If anyone violates will be warned and if repeated will be fined a pot of wine or chicken, pig depending on the level. Thanks to that, after hundreds of years of formation, the water drops of the village still flow day and night, meeting the daily needs of the people.

Then also from the stories by the drop of water, we have more information that Bana girls' names are Y, and their sons are A. According to Ms. Vot's words, the naming method comes from Kinh teachers to distinguish it. separate girls and boys. Because most of the children's names only have 1 syllable: Pick, Puk ....

When we complimented her on the beautiful water bottles she had, she told her to buy them. If someone has a husband, her husband will knit for her, and if someone is not married, she has to buy it.

The story seems to be unstoppable like the drops of water that flow from the "Teardrop" K'nam. It's time for us to say goodbye to Mrs. Vot, to K'nam's Water Drop, to Kon Tum to run down An Khe to Quy Nhon for the day.

Along with the Rong house, Water Drops are two unique cultural features of the Bana people, the Central Highlands.