Each morning, the peaceful village is cloaked in mist and smoke rising from the glowing forge of A Lih, a blacksmith in his 80s who still works tirelessly by the red-hot coals. Despite his age, his eyes remain sharp, and his calloused and strong hands are a testament to decades of shaping knives and hoes. Locals often say just hearing the sound of hammers from A Lih or A Hluh means new tools are coming for the upcoming farming season.

But maintaining the craft is no easy feat.

“In the old days, we could find iron ore in streams. Now, it’s all gone. We have to buy iron from outside, which is expensive. It can take a whole week to make a set of tools and that’s a week away from the fields. But I love this work too much to quit,” explains A Lih.

Every day, villagers bring old car springs, scrap metal, or barter with corn, rice, chickens, or pigs just to receive a well-crafted knife or a sturdy hoe. No money is exchanged; what matters is quality.

“My family often brings chickens or pigs to trade for tools,” says Laghi, a Xo Dang villager. “The tools he makes last a long time. If they break, we just bring them back for repair, and they’re as good as new. I hope he stays healthy and passes on his skills to the younger generation so the craft won’t disappear.”

In Kon Wang, blacksmithing is more than a livelihood, it is the soul of the community. The hammer strikes not only shape metal but forge spirit, breathing life into every farming tool. The forge is a space of cultural preservation, where traditions are passed down with every precise hammer blow and every carefully honed edge, embodying the pride and identity of the Xo Dang people.

“There are only a few blacksmiths left in the village now like Mep, Hluh, and Roi Poa Hlak in hamlet 5. People still really need tools like knives, machetes, and planting hoes. Tools from the market might look nice, but they don’t compare. Our tools are handmade to fit, sharper, and last longer. That’s the spirit of blacksmithing,” adds A Lih.

Laghon, a regular customer from Ea Mao village, shares, “Knives made here fit the hand well, are sharp, and durable. The ones bought at the market go dull quickly and chip easily. I truly trust and value what’s made by our own people.”

For generations, blacksmithing has been a source of pride for the Xo Dang. Even as modern life offers newer tools, the people of Kon Wang remain devoted to their traditional forge, seeing it as a core part of their cultural heritage. Every time the fire is lit, it fuels not just the forge but the spirit of a people.

As long as the hammer still rings out in the highlands of Kon Wang, as long as the fire still burns in the old clay forge, the traditions of the Xo Dang will live on like the flame in the hearts of these quiet yet proud blacksmiths who keep the fire alive for their people.

The Mong legacy of linen weaving on Dong Van Karst Plateau

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