“We Know Only Our Po Then Luang ”: Heritagization, Religious Inculturation, and Resistance in Post-đổi mới Vietnam

Abstract

Abstract: In 2016, the local government of Như Hoa multi-ethnic district of a northern province of Vietnam rebuilt a ruined temple of the Thái minority, a place associated with their long tradition of offering buffalos to their supreme God –the Po Then Luang. With the aim of meeting the spiritual needs of diverse ethnic communities in the district, the structure and altars of the temple were built with a combination of Việt Buddhist temple architecture and the iconic Thái stilt house. During the inauguration of the temple, a Buddhist ritual was celebrated by hundreds of different ethnic people including the Thái. However, in contrast to the local government's expectation, Thái villagers resisted local authorities’ efforts to integrate Buddhism and the Mother Goddess religion into the rebuilt temple. Thái villagers did not mind the architecture of the rebuilt temple or the devotional practices of the Vietnamese people, but they resisted the inclusion of altars dedicated to Buddhist figures in the temple and the inclusion of Buddhist rituals in their own site of worship. Their resistance revealed the complexities of religious accommodation in contemporary Vietnam. This article examines this episode of contestation in relation to state efforts of heritagization, and situates this local resistance within the larger context of religious dialogue and revitalization in contemporary society.