Tai Dam in China

People Name:	Tai Dam
Country:	China
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	45,000
World Population:	927,300
Primary Language:	Tai Dam
Primary Religion:	Ethnic Religions
Christian Adherents:	0.20 %
Evangelicals:	0.14 %
Scripture:	New Testament
Online Audio NT:	Yes
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	Tai
Affinity Bloc:	Southeast Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Tai Dam (Black Tai) are so named because of the predominant color of their traditional clothing, and also because they live along the banks of the Black River. In China, where they have been included in the official Dai nationality, the Tai Dam are also known as the Jinping Tai after the county they inhabit.

The Tai Dam use an ancient Indic script, which seems to have been the forerunner of the current script used by the Thai people in Thailand. Tai Dam has some intelligibility with Tai Kao.

The Tai Dam people are believed to have originated in southern China but gradually migrated into Southeast Asia due to oppression by the Chinese. The Tai Dam even had their own government in north Vietnam for a short time in the 1950s. The spread of smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, and malaria was rampant among the Tai Dam in the past, decimating entire communities.

What Are Their Lives Like?

It is common for all the elders of a Tai Dam family to be equally responsible for raising children. Each village is under the control of a Chao Muong, or prince.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Tai Dam are one of the few members of the great Tai peoples never to have embraced Buddhism. They are animists. They believe that "non-human objects have spirits, and that people have multiple souls. These spirits must be appeased so that they might avoid curses and receive blessings." The Tai Dam in Vietnam believe in the King of Heaven who founded the city of Dien Bien Phu, formerly called "Heavenly City" by the Tai Dam. They believe there used to be a vine which reached from the earth to heaven. One mother was upset because her son kept climbing the vine to fellowship with God. She cut the vine and ever since then the Tai Dam have been unable to communicate with God.

Several years ago a young Tai Dam man was imprisoned in southern Vietnam. He found Christ through the witness of a Vietnamese pastor, who was incarcerated at the same time for his faith. After his release, the young man returned to his village and shared his new faith. Impressed by the dramatic change in the ex-criminal's life, 753 Tai Dam turned to Christ and were baptized. In contrast to the Tai Dam church in Vietnam, which now numbers several thousand, few of their counterparts in China have ever heard the gospel. Translation work is currently under way to bring more of God's Word to the Tai Dam people.

What Are Their Needs?

The Tai Dam people need to put their trust and identity in the hands of the loving God of Creation who sent his son to make it possible for them to enter the Kingdom of God.

Prayer Points

Pray for the spiritual blindness and bondage to the evil one to be removed so they can understand and respond to Christ.

Pray for the Lord to provide for their physical and spiritual needs as a testimony of his power and love.

Pray the Tai Dam people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings.

Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.