The terms Tai Dam, Black Tai, Thai Song Dam, or Lao Song refer to an ethnic group originating from the traditional territory known as the Twelve Tai States or the areas around the Black and Red River basins in northern Vietnam and Laos. Some say they originated from Phu Quat mountain in the Red River basin and migrated at different times to escape oppression from groups occupying their lands. This migration caused the Tai Dam communities to disperse across various parts of Southeast Asia.
The Tai Dam have distinctive traditional dress. Today in Thailand, women wear dark blue-black sarongs dyed with indigo and mordant bark, featuring alternating white or pale blue stripes. They wear long-sleeved round-necked shirts and headscarves. Men wear similar long-sleeved round-necked shirts, long pants, and waistbands. The shirt's construction is unique: it has no underarm cut-outs or shoulder panels sewn lengthwise. The shoulder extends into the sleeves with fabric joining at the armpit. Seams and joins are stitched tightly, almost rolled and closely sewn. The front placket has buttonholes on one side and buttons sewn on the other, but the edges do not overlap. Buttons are made by twisting thread into a small matchstick-size coil sewn on the placket with intermittent stitches securing it.
Dress varies among Tai Dam communities. For example, the Tai Dam in Ban Na Pa Naad, Chiang Khan district, Loei province, who migrated across the Mekong River, have butterfly-shaped buttons similar to those of Tai Dam in Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam. Tai Dam elsewhere in Thailand use morning glory-shaped buttons. Traditionally, buttons were made of pure silver, though contemporary materials are now used to better suit modern lifestyles.
Regarding housing, traditional Tai Dam homes are built from bamboo and rattan wood. The floor consists of tightly bound rattan slats, covered with split bamboo mats called 'faak.' The roof is thatched with grass, shaped like a turtle shell covering the house. The gable ends are shaped like buffalo horns. Inside, the house is open-plan without rooms, designated sleeping areas, a hearth serving as the kitchen, and a shelf overhead for storing food and seeds. This protects against insects and utilizes smoke from cooking. Finally, there is a specific area dedicated to ancestral spirits (kalor hong).
Most Tai Dam people practice Buddhism blended with traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits, who are believed to protect descendants. Making merit for ancestors is thought to bring happiness and prosperity. The Tai Dam also venerate deities and sacred entities such as Phra Mae Thorani (Earth Goddess), Mae Posop (Rice Goddess), and Than.
In Tai Dam belief, Than represents nature gods (non-physical entities) who create, bestow prosperity, and protect from disasters from birth onward.
When a Tai Dam person dies, a ritual known as 'making way' is performed after cremation involving the bones. The ritual guides the deceased from their current home back to the Tai Dam ancestral homeland in Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam. The officiant recites directions guiding the deceased northeastward along the Mekong River through Laos, naming cities sequentially.
The purpose of this ritual is to express gratitude and remembrance of one's roots. According to local sages and ritual masters Thao Kamluan and Thao Kamlak (custom and ritual experts), around 1969 CE the Tai Dam migrated from Vietnam to Laos for 15 years, expressing the feeling of displacement in the 'Tai Dam Lament' song that recounts those 15 years since leaving Vietnam.
Tai Dam Lament Song
**Fifteen years our Tai have been away from the homeland, please cherish your humble servants who were forced from home.
We are all Tai, moving from place to place, please unite, our Tai are numerous.
**Fifteen years our Tai lost our land, once prosperous and comfortable.
Our ancestors built and established our village, but now far away, Tai feel regret.
**Fifteen years our Tai regret dearly, our village is deeply missed, oh beloved world.
The town where we lived, the place we slept, we must bid farewell. Tears of Tai flow.
(Chorus) Tears flow heavily when leaving the beloved homeland. We fled to escape danger, all Tai together seeking refuge.
The Tai Dam have their own language, both spoken and written. Tai Dam language belongs to the Tai language family, closely related to Lao and Thai, but with different tones and vocabulary.
Currently, there is concern that the Tai Dam language is at risk of extinction. Efforts have begun to collect linguistic data. Local communities manage language instruction in collaboration with schools and community scholars, for example at Wat Nong Prong School, Nong Prong Subdistrict, Khao Yoi District, Phetchaburi Province; Ban Thung Chut School, Khian Sa District, Surat Thani Province; and Ban Sai Ngam School, Phunphin District, Surat Thani Province.
Tai Dam language courses are integrated into school curricula with one period per week. Students are encouraged to wear traditional Tai Dam attire one day a week. Today, Tai Dam still speak their language alongside global languages.
Beyond language, Tai Dam communities strive to pass on traditional music and dance, which are key cultural elements. Folk songs preserved through generations often narrate life and community beliefs.
The Tai Dam's main traditional instrument is the khaen (a bamboo mouth organ). Their dances are distinctive: one hand pinches, the other opens and raises alternately left and right. The raised hand gestures resemble pushing away, paired with rhythmic hip swaying. This hand technique is a traditional formula inherited from ancestors, symbolizing self-protection against dance partners.
Dance also fosters community ties and unity. The 'Tai Dam Tradition Revival' event is held locally each year in the fifth month of the traditional lunar calendar, after the rice harvest. Its purpose is social gathering, exchanging ideas, and cultural revival. Private and government sectors collaborate to organize performances, dances, Tai Dam beauty contests, and communal singing of the 'Tai Dam Lament' to honor ancestors.
As a Tai Dam person myself, I view gratitude as fundamental. We honor kinship, maintain respect for elders, and venerate deceased ancestors. Each Tai Dam household has a book called 'Pab,' listing all family members from the founding ancestor to the most recent deceased. This book is used by ritual masters to call names during offerings. All these cultural practices express that we do not forget our roots and continue to remember our identity and origins.
Written by: Khwanmuang Rianphong
Compiled by: Natthapop Sangket