There are many people of people who would probably be curious why we use the Daoist symbol for Learn Ahom and what after all is the connection of Daoism with Dai Ahom people. This article will answer those questions, by showing evidence from historical records, ritual practices, linguistic and other cultural sources, how and to what extent the Daoist beliefs influenced early Ahom religious life

Understanding Daoism

Daoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy and spiritual tradition centered on living in harmony with the Dao 道, or “the Way.” Rather than emphasizing strict rules or control, Daoism encourages simplicity, balance, humility, and acceptance of the natural flow of life.

Daoism vs Taoism

Although it is pronounced as 'Tao' but in Pinyin, the letter 'd' is used for the phoneme /t/ while the letter 't' is used for the phoneme /tʰ/ and so for this same reason it is written as 'dao' and similarly ‘tai’ is written as ‘Dai’ because in pinyin, ‘Tai’ will be pronounced as thaito refer to the Thai people.

This is because just like Shan and many other Tai dialects, Chinese doesn't have different [t] and [d] phonemes, so pinyin uses ‘t’ grapheme to represent /tʰ/ and ‘d’ to represent /t/ which is why we write Dai instead of Tai and Dao instead of Tao.

Qi: Energy and Vitality

In Daoism, qi (氣) refers to the vital energy or life-force that flows through all living beings and connects them with the natural world. Daoist thought emphasizes maintaining the free and harmonious flow of qi within the body and in relationship with nature. Practices such as breathing exercises, meditation, and qigong are traditionally associated with cultivating and balancing qi, reflecting the broader Taoist ideal of living in harmony with the natural rhythm of the Dao.

In this article, we shall see many similarities between Daoism and traditional Dai beliefs,

The Dai Ahom Lak-Ni Calendar

Perhaps the biggest evidence of Daoist influence in Early Ahom Society is the very calendar that Ahom people traditionally used – the Lakni Calendar which is based on the East-Asian sexagenary cycle combining 10 Heavenly Stems with 12 Earthly Branches.

The number ten is deeply embedded in Chinese cosmology. The Ten Heavenly Stems were used to organize days and to describe cyclical relationships between yin and yang and the Five Phases (五行).

The 12 Earthly Branches are further linked with Zodiac Animals such as Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Horse, etc. A familiar example of this system can be seen in the present year 2026 is the Year of the Horse, mâ / 马 as also called so by the Tai Dam people of Vietnam

In Dai Ahom terms, we call the Heavenly Stem as Mother (māe) and Earthly Branch as Child (lūk) and the ten mothers are combined with twelve children, each six times to make sixty combinations in the following order

For calendrical timekeeping, each month is divided into 3 three wōng (called xún in Chinese) or three ten-day cycle. That is to say, in traditional terms Dai Ahom people have ten days in a week. This calendar is however only used for ritual purposes such as marking auspicious days for battle, agricultural harvest, etc. Otherwise for other activities, Dai people follow the same 7-day in a week calendar as the rest of the people.

The Dai Concept of Khwan

Very similar to qi, is the concept of khwan ขวัญ or xawn in traditional Dai beliefs, which refers to the person’s vital essence, spirit, or life-presence. And just like Qi,it can become unsettled or “lost,” requiring certain rituals to restore balance such as the ancient rik-xawn ritual of Dai Ahoms.

Thus, qi emphasizes a dynamic life-energy that flows and can be cultivated, while khwan emphasizes a personal spiritual essence whose presence contributes to wellbeing and social harmony. One important difference still is in the way they are restored.

Qi is primarily restored through meditative methods and breathing exercises to restore harmonious circulation and balance of vital force, while khwan is traditionally restored through ritual calling, blessing, and reaffirmation of the person's spiritual vitality. So although they are very similar concepts, there is a difference in rituals as Dai people follow their own animist rituals rather than traditional Daoist practices.

Primordial Creation of Universe

In Dai Ahom belief system, the creator of the universe is called as phâ têr tsērng, which literally just translates to heaven (sky)–touch–state (land). I find this concept similar to 天地交 tiāndì jiāo, a Daoist concept literally meaning the union of heaven and earth.

In the Yijing, particularly in the symbolism of Tai (泰), Heaven and Earth are understood not as separate, static realms but as complementary forces whose interaction allows the wanwu (万物), the “ten thousand things,” to flourish. Heaven's influence descends while Earth's influence rises, creating a productive circulation between the two. This duality also shows in the well-known Yin-Yang symbol, which represents Daoism.

So far his is only my theory, as I cannot find any other interpretation for this.

The Frog and the Eclipse

In many indigenous Southeast Asian traditions as well as Native American culture particularly the Cherokee people, both lunar eclipse and solar eclipse is attributed to the work of a giant toad which devours it and this belief can be found among the Dai Ahom people too.

In fact, Lunar Eclipse itself is called as kóp kin dern or literally the frog eating the moon and similarly Solar Eclipse is called as kóp kin wán or frog eating the son.

This is similar to the Chinese traditions too except for the identity of the devouring creature as eclipses in Chinese Folklore are more associated with the Celestial Dragon or the Heavenly Dog but Chinese folklore also has a lunar toad, or a frog living in the moon. This shared motif although more of a similarity and not a clear evidence of Daoist influence might show us the spread of Chinese folklores throughout the East Asian cultural sphere.

Daoist Architecture of Ahoms

If we forget the Indo-Bengali influence in Ahom Architecture we find an even older Daoist base, particularly in the design of haw phi and this will be very clear once you see the design.

Conclusion

The comparison between Daoist and Ahom traditions reveals a number of striking cosmological parallels, particularly in their understanding of the relationship between Heaven, Earth, life, and cosmic order. Concepts such as qi and the Ahom idea of khwan, as well as the imagery of Heaven and Earth coming together in tiāndì jiāo and the Ahom conception of Phâ Têr Tsērng, suggest a shared emphasis on interaction between the celestial and terrestrial realms as the foundation of life and creation.

Similar patterns can also be observed in calendrical traditions such as the Lak Ni calendar which follows sexagenary cycle as in Daoist tradition

But again this is not conclusive evidence as co-relation is not causation. So more research is required before we reach any conclusion as to when Ahoms adopted Daoism, whether it was the time when they were vassals of the Ming Empire or was it before they even came to Assam.

References

Indian Journal of Tai Studies, 2018

Ahom Language Coins of Assam (John Deyell 1978)