Catholicism in Kon Tum: Integration to Preserve and Promote Cultural Heritage Values

Abstract

Since the mid-19th century, Western missionaries began disseminating Catholicism in Kon Tum, Vietnam. Initially, they encountered numerous difficulties due to language barriers, differences in faith and culture, and conflicts between traditional polytheistic beliefs and the monotheistic faith of Catholicism. However, through various methods, Western missionaries integrated Catholicism with the cultures of local ethnic groups across domains such as language, music, lifestyle, and ancestor worship, thereby forming a new Catholic culture strongly imbued with local elements in the ethnic minority region. This cultural integration in Kon Tum, in particular, and more broadly in the Central Highlands, constitutes a process of preserving and promoting the cultural values of the ethnic communities’ heritage in this area.