Tai Daeng

The Tai Daeng lived for centuries in southern China. Pressure from their Chinese neighbors pushed Tai groups southward, and the ancestors of the Tai Daeng eventually settled in the lands that now belong to Vietnam and Laos, where it was not always easy to secure food for the family.

They are part of the broader family of Tai peoples, which spread across the whole region. Today most live in Vietnam, and a smaller part across the border in Laos. As citizens of these two countries, the Tai Daeng have little political influence, but they zealously preserve their language and customs.

The family is the center of social life, and descent follows the father’s line. In the countryside, the immediate family usually lives together, and husband and wife share the work in a fairly balanced way. Respect is given first to age and then to occupation, possessions, and place of residence. Polite manners and hospitality mark relations between neighbors and visitors.

Most farm small valley plots with irrigated rice, and many also work as blacksmiths, especially along trade routes. Villages are small, usually occupy a single valley, and govern themselves, with ties of respect to a local prince. Boys often spend a few months in village monasteries, learning Buddhist teachings.

The spiritual life of the Tai Daeng combines folk animism and Buddhism. They believe that spirits dwell in objects and elements of nature, and so they seek to keep good relations with them. Many seek merit through offerings to monks and temples, and almost every village has its own.

A striking belief is that each person has several souls. When someone falls ill, suffers a fright, or goes through a great change, it may be believed that one of these souls has wandered away. A ceremony is then held to call it back and strengthen the person. These practices are intertwined with the identity of the people and with community life, and few have had contact with the message of Jesus.

The translation of the Bible into Tai Daeng has been started, but has not yet fully reached the hands of the people. There is Bible teaching in audio in the language, which especially serves those who learn better by listening than by reading. For most families, however, the message of Jesus is found only in languages tied to school and trade, and not in the language spoken at home that touches the heart.

For the Tai Daeng, inherited spiritual practices and the identity of the people go hand in hand: following another path may be seen as abandoning family and community. Added to this are the distance between villages, the very small number of Christians among them, the scarcity of Bible materials in their own language, and the almost nonexistent presence of churches nearby. Few have had the opportunity to meet a follower of Jesus or to hear the gospel in the language of the home.

Many Tai Daeng families live far from health professionals, and illnesses that could be prevented or treated still cause deaths. Without care, it is common to turn to the spirits in search of healing. There is a need for accessible medical care, schools, and development that respects the cultural richness of the people.

On the spiritual level, the greatest need is to know Jesus, who offers peace to those who live in fear of the spirits and uncertainty about the future. For this, the people need Scriptures and Bible stories in their own language, the testimony of people who speak as they do, and communities of faith rooted in Tai Daeng culture.