Spirit Worship.  The Muong are primarily animists, which means that they believe that most things (including nonliving objects) have spirits. They also are polytheistic, since they practice ancestor worship and deify local heroes after their death. They worship numerous deities, including the spirit of certain mountains, the spirit of the village and the spirit of the land; as well as spirits of agriculture, the hearth, the forest, and a variety of others. The most honored ancestor is the one who first led them to site of their particular village. A special house is made for this spirit so that it will protect the village. The Muong sometimes worship the spirit of Mount Ba Vi, the highest and most prominent mountain in the Muong area. Every Muong family has an ancestral altar that is sacred to them and takes priority over altars to other spirits. Its elaborateness is in proportion to the family's financial status.  Animism is a life of fear--a form of bondage that usually involves a dread of the spirits. Great efforts are made to avoid offending the spirits, and placating them if the people fear that the spirits are angry.

        Sorcerers.  The religious doctrines of the Muong are maintained by male and female sorcerers or shamans. The male sorcerers are said to be inspired by powerful male spirits, which they honor by erecting altars dedicated to them in their homes. The role of the shaman is limited to certain families. It is passed on from father to son, or nephew. Young men study at the feet of their father or uncle. Women shamans are called moi. They are thought to have fewer magical powers than their male counterparts. These women normally remain unmarried. However, a few marry and bear children. If so, they teach their oldest daughter their craft.  Sorcers are deeply involved in the occult.

        Female sorcerers are believed to be able to talk to spirits but only while in a trance. They seem to make little use of rituals or incantations. Male shamans, on the other hand, do not use a trance-like state, but employ memorized rituals to summon the spirits. The shaman can call upon the ancestral spirits to come and accept the sacrifice of a pig, chicken or other food. This may be to obtain a blessing or to appease an angry spirit who has caused sickness or other calamity. The kind or size of the sacrifice depends on the status, power, and wealth of the ancestor. If calling on an important person, then the sacrifice has to be larger. It is not uncommon for sorcerers to specialize. Those who conduct funeral services are called thay mo. Those who officiate at other ceremonies are designated they tluong. Fortune tellers, or diviners are termed they mai.

        If parents feel the special need of protection for their children, (sometimes while yet unborn) they will offer the child to a sorcerer. The sorcerer will become a sort of godparent to the child. In turn, the child is expected to repay him for his protection by giving him gifts and helping to decorate his altar. This is common in the case of a mother who has had many miscarriages.

        Other Doctrines.  Tho cong, the spirit of the soil, occupies one of the highest places in the supernatural hierarchy. Each Muong village erects a sacred house in honor of this deity. All ceremonies pleading for good crops are held here. All sacrifices related to agriculture, vital to the Muong for their very existence, are offered to the tho cong. Musicians, using brass gongs, two-stringed instruments and bamboo flutes lead a procession to this house and play during the ceremony. Individual homes may also have an altar consecrated to this spirit. Following hunts, a ritual offering of game is made to the spirits of the forest and the mountain, as well as the guardian spirit of wildlife and the spirit of firearms.

The Muong believe that a person’s body incorporates multiple souls. The basic soul that governs the bodily functions is called the bia. The intellectual faculties are termed the wai. At death (only if the deceased has received a proper funeral), the wai travels to another world.  The bia remains behind. The wai becomes a ghost or ma. The ghost may help the living, but may turn to evil, venting its wrath on its relatives if they neglect their duty. The ma is thought to be especially provoked if the living fail to properly dispose of the dead body.

The two worlds, that of the living and that of the dead, are both real to the Muong, and must be kept completely separate. The land of the dead is precisely that -- a place where nothing grows and where there is no human activity. For this reason, on the anniversary of the death of a close relative, all agricultural activities or any work associated with creation is forbidden. When someone dies in a house, the family believes that his ghost departs through one of the windows, and they refuse to use that window for fear his dead spirit, bia, will return to haunt them.

They have many deep-seated fears inherent in their beliefs. They are careful to avoid offense to the numerous deities who could send them misfortune. They greatly fear the evil spirits, who beset them on all sides. They fear the ghosts of the dead . Fear of the spirit world is a pervasive part of daily life. For them, these matters are deadly serious – matters of life and death. Many taboos exist to help avoid offending the spirits. For example no one may spit in the hearth or approach it in the nude for fear of offending the spirit of the hearth. These precious people remain trapped in darkness, waiting for the light.

        Funerals.  The funeral shows the influence of various religious beliefs, including Taoism, Confucianism and even Buddhism.  During the ceremony, prayers are offered to various deities. As in the case of other people groups,  elaborate paper votive offerings are often burned.  On propitious days, such as New Year's and agricultural holidays, ceremonies are conducted to honor the dead. The Muong believe that their ancestors return on New Year's eve and remain with them for three days. Honor is paid to a deceased relative on the anniversary of the funeral service. These ceremonies are conducted by the head of the family. The children prostrate themselves four times before the altar, then food is offered and later eaten by the family.

        Christian Witness.  The Muong have been resistant to the gospel message, though many, if not most, have never heard a clear presentation of the claims of Jesus Christ. Catholic missionaries have been active in Vietnam for many years, and have had some measure of success in working with the Muong, although no Muong village has ever converted to Catholicism. The Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) has been transmitting programs weekly from the Philippines since April 1976. These programs are transmitted every Monday 13:15-13:30 on a frequency of 9795 KHz, 31 meter band. The main content has been scripture readings from the Gospel of Mark.

The Gospels of Mark & John have been available in Muong since 1963, and work is in progress to translate other parts of the Bible. No Jesus Film is available in Muong.

08/20/2003