There were no men in sight and only a handful of tourists during my two-hour visit. Even if no tourists came, I would still wear it." So is it unethical to visit the long-necked women? Because long necked women can't lean their head's back, they drink from straws. It has also been suggested that the coils give the women resemblance to a dragon, an important figure in Kayan folklore. 1932 Burma and Beyond. Usually the daughter-in-law will move in with her husband upon marriage and in that case, the price is higher than if the man moves in with his wife. The Padaung women of Myanmar were famous for stretching their necksby means of coiled brass neck ringsto a length of about 15 inches (38 cm), pushing down the collarbone, compressing the rib cage, and pulling up about four thoracic vertebrae into the neck. Many women have removed the rings for medical examinations. Annette Kunigagon, the owner of Eagle House Eco-sensitive Tours, wrote in an e-mail. The discoloration is more persistent. [Source: Amit R. Paley, Washington Post, August 23, 2009 +++], Eventually we arrived at our main destination, the village of the long-necked women. When the rings push down enough, they can actually cause the position of the rib cage to shift, as welltypically, wearing the rings will move the rib cage and the collarbones approximately 45 degrees below where they normally sit in the body. Amit R. Paley wrote in the Washington Post, a village chief named Asung said they must wear the dress because of tradition, but he also spoke excitedly about its appeal to tourists and noted that half of the village's income of $30,000 a year comes from tourism. Metal rings are also worn on different parts of the body, not just the neck. One woman who had worn the rings for over 40 years removed them. Amit R. Paley wrote in the Washington Post, The traditional wardrobe for Padaung women is a red, saronglike dress with a blue or magenta jacket and towellike head covering. Although the Karennis retook the headquarters camp, some of the civilians remained in the refugee village on the Thai side, including the Padaung women. The Padaung or Kayan Lahwi or Long Necked Karen are a subgroup of the Kayan, a mix of Lawi, Kayan and several other tribes. .In Nao Soi and Mae Hong Son Thailand, visitors pay $10 to be driven to a village where they can take photographs of long necked woman. Most distinctive are the dozens of rattan rings that circle their waists. Men wear the basic Southeast Asian longji. This policy was relaxed in late 2008 and a small group of Kayan have left for New Zealand in August 2008. A Padaung woman is known to wear thirty seven brass rings around her neck! Most women prefer to wear the rings once their clavicle has been lowered, as the area of the neck and collarbone often becomes bruised and discolored. said Mamombee, 52, whose neck seemed particularly elongated. The Kayans' traditional religion is called Kan Khwan, and has been practiced since the people migrated from Mongolia during the Bronze Age. Scott there voices sound "as if they were speaking from the bottom of a well.. Many foreigners dont like practice and describe the villages as human zoos, but they visit them anyway. In 1985, a Padaung man named Moli brought three Padaung women, in their twenties and thirties and wearing the traditional neck spirals, from a contested area in the war zone near Loikaw to the relative security of the Karenni base. Yes, their necks clearly will look longer after wearing them for some time, but its not a result of their neck bones somehow stretching outits because the weight and pressure of the coils on their collarbones pushes them down. Most of Chiangmai's trekking tour agencies displayed the women's pictures in front of their offices to attract tourists. When Burmese military forces took control of Burma(now Myanmar) in 1962, they hoped to help modernize society there. It is an easy trip to 'make' money out of, but this is not our interest!PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT THIS VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS! But her mother, Mateu, who wears a 10-pound coil of 24 rings around her own neck, told her to endure; girls like her represent the economic future of the Padaung tribe of long-necked women, known . "This is our culture. It is usually only removed to be replaced by a new or longer coil. Around the age of twenty, up to twenty three rings are nestled around their necks. [5], Learn how and when to remove this template message, Karenni National People's Liberation Front (KNPLF), Thai Burma Border Consortium / A brief history of the Thailand Burma border situation, Burmese Border Consortium Relief programme: January to June 2003, BBC news / Burmese women in Thai 'human zoo', "The Dragon Mothers Polish their Metal Coils by Edith Mirante - Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics", French Language page with introduction, notes and bibliography of Kayah, Kayan, Karenni et Yang Daeng by Jean-Marc Rastorfer, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kayan_people_(Myanmar)&oldid=1150348388, This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 17:03. The Padaung's famous long-necked women wear brass coils not rings around their necks. Some fled to Burma to escape war. After removing the rings, women report discomfort that fades after about three days. Cultural Survival envisions a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance. The rings can cause near-constant chafing on the skin of the neck and shoulders, which is also more likely to become pretty susceptible to bruising while the rings are on. Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities self-determination, cultures and political resilience, since 1972. In the 1930s, circuses and shows were extremely popular in the United Kingdom and these women, advertised as "giraffe women", were star attractions, drawing huge crowds. "I don't care about tourists," Naheng said. "We have to stay with the middleman," Mamombee said. When the annual Mae Hong Son Winter Fair was to be held, they demanded that the Karennis bring the women to be exhibited. The boat tour became extremely fashionable with foreign and Thai tourists during 1985 and 1986. One Padaung woman told AP, It is not comfortable wearing these coils even while sleeping. Kayan women, when asked, acknowledge these ideas, and often say that their purpose for wearing the rings is cultural identity (one associated with beauty). Their oral history holds that they had been a matrilineal society until tribal warfare killed so many men that polygamy had to be instituted. Local businesses profit from the tourist traffic, and some Padaung women welcome the modest income. Privately, some Karenni at the headquarters said that the three had been "kidnapped" by Moli, who saw their potential as a tourist attraction for visitors near the Thai border. In spite of the inaccessibility, photographs and paintings of Padaung women continue to be used by the Burmese government tourist agency in its advertising brochures and posters, and their image has been popular on Burmese crafts made for tourists. Naheng said she even sleeps in them and only briefly takes off the rings in the shower. Nick Meo wrote in The Times: It began when Zember, 21, decided to cast off the brass rings. Here's how Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and other childhood figures came about. The town of Mae Hong Son and the surrounding province are inhabited mainly by Shan and tribal people related to ethnic groups of Burma, but there is a large Thai Army presence and a provincial administration that is mainly composed of ethnic Thai. Among the other refugees in the makeshift camp are the two padaung women with the brass-spiraled necks. The government of Myanmar began discouraging neck rings as it struggled to appear more modern to the developed world. There have even been reports that some of the Padaung are prisoners held captive in the villages by businessmen. In middle school, they called me giraffe girl, she said in an interview with HuffPost. The other type is one or more spiral metal coils of many turns, often worn only by married women. Most women prefer to wear the rings once their clavicle has been lowered, as the area of the neck and collarbone often becomes bruised and discolored. Answer (1 of 2): Not all Burmese females wear neck rings like this: They are a subgroup of Kayan people (Myanmar) (aka: Padaung which means copper neck) living at a small border town of Myanmar and Thai. [7] Though the point of wearing the coils is to elongate a womans neck, thats not actually what it does at all. The neck was carefully smeared with a salve and massage for several hours, after which a priest would fit small cushions under the first ring-usually made of bronze to prevent soreness. Attacks by the Burmese Army on valley dwellers suspected of aiding the rebels forced many into the mountains, and raids on mountain villages pushed fleeing tribespeople across the Salween River, closer and closer to the Thai border. Several hundred Padaung live along the Thai-Myanmar border. They call themselves Kekawngdu or Kayan, but other ethnic groups in Burma and foreigners know them as Padaung. Is this economic empowerment, then, or exploitation? The longer the woman's neck is, the more attractive she is. One of the Padaung women had gone back to her home area, but the two that remained were on call for tourist arrivals throughout the day. It's that simple! The vertebrae do not elongate, though the space between them may increase as the intervertebral discs absorb liquid. "This is a must. Even elders dont know. It didn't look like a village at all. "We're not allowed to take it off because of our tradition," said Malao, a 33-year-old who, like most Padaung women, has only one name. Date: May 11, 2020. "He is very worried that visitors will stop coming," my guide, who served as my interpreter, told me as we left and headed to our own hut. A Paduang woman told National Geographic, "Wearing brass ring around your neck makes you beautiful.". Padaung women has always been punished by the removal of the rings, a fate almost literally, worse than death. Padaung women bind their necks with heavy brass rings that alter the shape of the neck and shoulders. Some foreigners just came to complain that some women were not wearing their costumes." Some people call them "Karen long neck village Chiang Mai". In this way, the couple will love each other forever. The first brass rings are put on a young Padaung girl's neck at about five years of age in an important rite of passage which - in the case of non-Christian Padaung - is supervised by a village shaman who casts chicken bones to determine an auspicious date. +++, "I want to go out and see things, see the market, see the people," said Maya, 11, who escaped from Burma three years ago. Most tourist s see the long-necked women in Sompron village (about three miles south of the center of town), where ten long-necked women and girls live in small huts set up for them by a travel agency. As the coils are added they push the collar bone and ribs down, creating the appearance of a longer neck. [6] Today, they reside in Karenni (Kayah) State around Demawso and Loikow, in the southern region of Shan State and in Mandalays Pyinmana and Karens Than Daung township. Many of the residents of Ban Nai Soi Kayan Longneck village moved into the Karenni refugee camp in September 2008, but 20 families and 104 residents remain there, according to the sign at the entrance as of February 2001. Actually stretching the neck would result in paralysis and death. The custom is dying out in traditional Pandaung villages in Myanmar, where people are so poor they prefer spend their hard earned money on rice rather than brass, but it is gaining new convert along the Thai border. Yes, people are being more reckless on the road, and no, youre not wrong for noticing. "Padaung" are the rings they use. (In earlier days, copper and gold were used as well.) But now, younger Kayan women are turning away from the tradition of their ancestors. Although most tribal refugees from Burma's frontier war are unwelcome in Thailand, two women of the Padaung tribal group who sought refuge have been encouraged to stay on - as tourist attractions. A study conducted in 2020 by researchers from Otsuma Womens . Land Acknowledgement We were ushered into a 50-square-yard collection of shacks where two dozen Padaung women sat and sewed or tried to sell their wares. Tel: +41 22 906-9870, +41 22 906-9871 She said: I want to keep my peoples traditions but we are suffering because of these rings. A major offensive was launched against the Karenni rebels, including an incursion into Thailand by troops that took up positions to attack them from the rear. The largest is Huay Pu Keng, on the Pai river, close to the Thai Myanmar border. Business has fallen off at her souvenir stall and her family no longer has the payments that women receive for wearing the coils, a fraction of the profits made from selling entry tickets to tourists. After removing the rings, women report discomfort that fades after about three days. In their most distinctive custom, beginning at about five years of age, many Padaung girls have their necks wound with spirals of brass. It was off a dirt road, and a man at a booth in the front charged us 300 Thai baht (about $9) a person to enter. All tourism-related businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and transportation services would be badly hit if they went away. The Kayan have a strong belief in augury and nothing is done without reference to some form of divination, including breaking thatch grass, but most importantly consulting the chicken bones.[16]. Their increased accessibility led to tour bus visits and features such as a board painted with a picture of a Padaung woman that had the face cut out so tourists could have their picture taken in its place. The Kayan consists of the following groups: Kayan Lahwi (also called Padaung, [bd]), Kayan Ka Khaung (Gekho), Kayan Lahta, Kayan Ka Ngan. A study conducted in 2018 by researchers from Otsuma Womens University found that these rings had increased the distance from the suprasternal notch to the lower jaw (i.e., just above the collarbone to the chin) to as much as 19.7 cm (7.75 in). Neck coils can weigh nearly 20 kilograms at times. They did needlework and studiously ignored the fairgrounds who bought tickets to enter the enclosure and observe them. Most have come to Thailand to make money displaying themselves to gawking tourists. Bitter arguments exploded between young and old generations, the Thai businessmen who run the camps were furious and worried, and a new role model was born for a generation of disgruntled women. The rings are given to the women by their husbands and worn as a sign of faithfulness, and were once removed only after the women diedtoday, however, the women dont tend to wear them permanently. One of the treasures of any country is its people. "If you are Palaung, you have to wear the costume of the Palaung," he said while chopping pork for dinner. "We have been running culturally and environmentally friendly treks for 22 years and have never run treks to visit this tribal group as we would consider this exploitation as they have no rights. Marriages with in-laws or conflicting clans who have sworn not to marry for several generations is forbidden. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. My head aches, and I feel like my neck can't support my head. It is clearly true that money spent to visit them supports an artificial village from which they essentially cannot leave. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Amit R. Paley wrote in the Washington Post, Nae Naheng, 52, the matriarch of the family said the Padaung believe that women used to be angels in the past world, and that male hunters used rattan rings to catch them and bring them to Earth. When tourists complained about the Padaung women's aloof attitude, the women were made to sing and play the guitar for the visitors. In this respect Myanmar, particularly the east with its rich and diverse ethnic minorities, is well endowed. One suggests men put the rings on their women to deter slave traders. The Ndebele in South Africa wear rings around their necks. They will also cause the shoulders to slope forward and weaken the muscles in the neck. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Kayan are a subgroup of the Red Karen (Karenni) people, a Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority of Burma (Myanmar). There are different theories as to how the custom originated. As a result, it is tough, hefty, and uncomfortable to apply against anyone's delicate neck. "But I cannot." The area around Loikaw was dubbed "the land of the giraffe women," and the women have aroused the curiosity of explorers and tourists since Burma's days as a British colony.
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