  Women of Taiphake ‘Kapan’- welcome dance -2
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Umbrella Dance –‘Kachong’
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Namphakiyal village
The Tai Phake is a lesser-known tribe with microscopic population found in the Dibrugarh district. Though they are small in population yet they maintain their gorgeous multicolored costume of their traditional distinctiveness and retain the Tai Phake language and culture.
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Women of Taiphake ‘Kapan’- welcome dance -2
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Umbrella Dance –‘Kachong’
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Tai Phake is the branch of the great Tai race, which entered Assam in the latter half of the 18th century. They came through the Patkai range and lived in Mogoung (now in Myanmar) till 1700 A.D. The word ‘Phake’ has been derived from the Tai words ‘Pha’ meaning wall and ‘Ke’ meaning old antiquity. People living near and around the antique stone wall in due course came to be known as ‘kunphake’ i.e. people residing near phake part of the country. They are also called ‘phakeyal’ by the Assamese Indians. They introduced themselves as phakeyat (Jat) i.e people of Phake caste, as there had been no letter pronouncing ‘Z’ in Tai. In course of time the word ‘phakejat’changed into ‘phakeyal’ and latter on ‘phakial’, which contested by the phake people.
On their arrival in Assam they in search of a suitable land for inhabitation, inhabited in the riverine area of Buridihing River Southern bank the biggest Taiphake village in 1850, which is now called as Namphake village.
As regards to religion, the Taiphake people worship Lord Buddha. The monks with the trainees reside in the Buddha Vihar or monastery. The culure of these people is very rich which is still being maintained. Poi-Chang Ken or the Water Splashing Festival is the most popular and important festival of this tribe which falls every year on 14 th April. Buddha purnima festival solemnizes the birth enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha and is known as Poi-Nun-Hok. Pai- Kathin festival is celebrated in the month of October or November with the significance of donating of ‘Kathin’to a ‘bikshu’or monk. Poi –Nen-Chi festival is observed in the month of march by this tribe with the belief that offering of Chaitya will help to attain peace in this life and also in the life after death.
The salient features of attraction of this village are sunset in Namphake, boating in the river Buridhing, Pagoda built in 1937, Buddist Monastry, symbolic Ashoka pillar, Nong Mungchiringta (Musulinda tank), traditional stilt house, traditional dances like Kakong (drum Dance), Kapan (welcome dance), Kachong (umberella Dance) and Ka feefai (dimond dance).
