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In November 1975, under the leadership of former Governor Robert D. Ray, the people of Iowa opened their state, their cities
and their hearts to a group of refugees from SE Asia known as the Taidam.
The Taidam belong to the Tai group who
lived in Laos, Thailand, Burma, North Vietnam, and the valley of the Himalayan Mountains and Southern China.
In
1250 BC many of the Tai people had to move south of what is today the Chinese border because the Mongols under Kubilai Khan
invaded and destroyed their kingdom known as Nan Chao. The Tai divided themselves into groups. One group went to Laos.
Another group followed the Menam River to Thailand. And the Taidam followed the Black River to North Vietnam and built their
town and cities.
The Taidam lived peacefully with their neighbors, the Vietnamese and the Laotians. But in the
1900's the French colonized Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. In the early 1950's, the French started to lose their colonies.
In North Vietnam under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, the French were defeated at the famous battle of Dien Bien Phu (a major
Taidam city called Muong Theng or the city of the God). Many Taidam who had been French soldiers, government employees, and
top government officials, along with their families, started to move out of their homeland and became political refugees in
1954.
Many Taidam families moved to Laos because of the similarities in language and culture. Others move to South
Vietnam.
In the meantime the Americans replaced the French after their pull out from Indochina. America wanted
to stop communism from spreading South. America sent troops and war materials to South Vietnam. However, in 1973 America
signed a peace treaty with the communist government of Ho Chi Minh in Paris. America decided to pull out of Vietnam.
Once again, for the Taidam, after building their homes, businesses and their life in Laos for 20 years, they sought refuge
in the Refugee camps in Thailand and then resettlement in Iowa, in the United States of America.
Today 90 percent
of the Taidam live and work in Iowa. Iowa is called the free capital of the Taidam in the world.
CULTURE
The Taidam believe in benevolent and malevolent spirits. They believe that there are supernatural forces that decide
their lives and destiny. The creator of heaven and earth is the "Then Luong." On earth the "Phi" who
are the henchman of the "Then" control every affair of man's deeds.
Taidam hold man to be a part of nature.
Man is superior over nature, but man is happiest when is at one with nature. He does not try to rise above it, and he accepts
what life holds for him. However, Taidam are very tolerant of other's beliefs.
The influence of Confucianism can
also be felt in the Taidam society. The Taidam believe in a strong sense of cultural-historical continuity and stability.
The perfect individual is to improve himself, his family and to make his country prosperous and the word peaceful.
Collective active strategies of resource pooling and general support networks based on tightly knit extended family organizations
are well developed in the Taidam society.
In Iowa, most Taidam are somewhat related to each other. Child rearing
is generally more conservative, stricter and less permissive than America. The parents, brothers, sisters, other members
of the family and elders have the responsibility to help raise a child. The younger people show respect to parents, grandparents,
and deceased ancestors; disrespect is not tolerated. For the Taidam, the aged are society's most respected people.
The Taidam are peace-loving people. They enjoy jokes and humor. They are friendly and easy to be friends with. They
have a reputation of honesty, loyalty and industriousness. Their hospitality to their guest is "unlimited." Their
house is your house if you visit them. They love to eat and to discuss community affairs and responsibilities.
More Tai History.
Famous Taidam song(Taidam Lum Pun)
Taidam song by Dara Rasavanh.(YouTube)
Tai Deow Hak Kun.
Ngum Hod Meuang Tai.
Kup Tai(Tai traditional song and music)
More Tai Music on YouTube.
Christian and Southeast Asian (Dinh Vanlo)
Iowa Roots- Houng Baccam
Iowa Roots- Somphong Baccam
Tribute to Anh Eung Lo Van
TAI ALPHABETS
More on Tai Dam alphabet
Download Tai fonts.
Learn how to Read and Write in Tai:
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