Drum Towers
What Are Drum Towers?
Drum towers are a culturally significant aspect of the Dong ethnic minority. These buildings are a social hub in Dong communities where people gather and discuss and make important decisions. Every Dong village has at least one drum tower, and it is said that the more drum towers there are in a village, the more families there are. Each family sharing the same last name will have a drum tower.
Materials
Cedar and Pinewood are the materials often used in the construction of Drum Towers. However, cedar is becoming used more commonly as it is more durable and waterproof unlike pinewood. Cedar is also softer and more suitable for construction compared to alternatives.
Structure of Drum Towers
Drum towers are unique wooden pagoda-shaped buildings of Dong ethnicity and is the symbol of Dong villages. On the top floor of the tower, or on the first floor beside the fire pit (often with a fire lit in order to keep the pillars dry from humid weather so that the wooden columns do not rot), there is a cowhide drum.
Dong people believe that odd numbers symbolise auspiciousness and good luck, therefore all Drum Towers have an odd number of storeys. Each storey will be slightly wider than the one on top of it. Drum Towers are made of cedar wood with mortise and tenon joints, without using any nails. This means that the tower relies completely on the slotting of wooden joints to hold beams together.
There are two types of drum towers in Dong culture:
single-pillared and multi-columned towers. Single-pillar towers are supported by one pillar only. They are less common amongst Dong architecture. Multi-pillar towers contain four fundamental columns and twelve smaller ones, which are said to symbolise the four seasons and twelve months of the year. Each Drum Tower has a square base but the storeys of the tower are often the shape of a hexagon or octagon.
Between each storey of a drum tower, there are often drawings and paintings vividly depicting symbols and representations of Dong culture.
.Many art symbols of Dong culture have gradually disappeared as reliance on the next generation to pass them on has led to knowledge being lost. The lack of broader understanding among others further complicates the preservation of these rich cultural elements.