The Tai Dam or Tai people originated from Northwest Vietnam in an area so beautiful it’s called Muang Then, the Land of God. The legend goes that God created people in a gourd in this valley, and the first people to emerge from the gourd were the Xa, followed by the Tai, the Lao, the Lu, the Mong and finally the Kinh  (the Vietnamese ethnic majority). The gourd then became a mountain, which stands today in the middle of the fertile Muang Then Valley. Master weavers, the Tai tell stories of this beautiful valley and its origins, through their beautiful textile designs.  Today this fertile valley is still cultivated with spices like anise, cardamom and ginger.  Read Less