Many women have removed the rings for medical examinations. The chairman of the Mae Hong Son chamber of commerce told the New York Times, Long-necked Paduang are the star attraction to draw tourist to our province. A symbol of wealth, position and beauty, the coils can stretch their necks over a foot and weigh over 20 pounds According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world record for longest neck 40 centimeters (15 inches) belonged to a Padaung woman. 'Giraffe Neck' Padaung Women Tour London And New York - Flashbak All Rights Reserved. Buying the coils is regarded as an investment. But in the Nation photograph, this woman, this refugee, has at last allowed herself to give a distinctly hostile glare. Does she want to escape? 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. One woman who had worn the rings for over 40 years removed them. The Karennis believed that the Thais had turned over information about their base to Burmese intelligence agents in retaliation for their refusal to send the women to Chiangmai. In the past, the choice of marriage partners was usually the responsibility of the parents; today, young people often select their own partner. She was even featured on an episode of the show My Strange Addiction because of her obsessive interested with neck elongation, though she eventually did have them removed. The weight and pressure of the leg spirals can make walking slow and stiff, and the Padaung women have to contend with the challenges of steep mountain rice fields and ladders leading to their stilt-supported houses. Anthropologists have hypothesized that the rings protected women from becoming slaves, making them less attractive to other tribes. The Karennis protested that the Padaung women were not "animals in a zoo," but the Thais threatened to shut down the Karenni black market trade, and the women were brought to the fairgrounds. Some Padaung women have removed their rings after converting to Christianity, and others have simply rejected the practice as antiquated and cumbersome. Thai shelling drove the Burmese intruders back into Burma, but there were friendly meetings between Burmese and Thai officers at the time of the withdrawal. I removed the phrase "This poses a health concern as a person who has worn neck rings for a long time cannot support the weight of their head without neck rings." as I doubt its accuracy. We are denied education and the authorities will not let us go abroad, although some of us have been invited to leave for Finland and New Zealand. Without work papers or citizenship, the Kayan have little say over what happens to them. Thai authorities actually "negotiated" to keep them in Thailand, while repatriating other tribespeople to the Burma war zone. One 8-year-old who refused to wear the coils told AP, I prefer to be normal. At the age of 5, girls in the Karen (or Kayan) and Padaung tribes of Myanmar are fitted with their first rings. There are different theories as to how the custom originated. CPA Media - Archives - Beauty Secrets Of The Padaung Many ideas regarding why the coils are worn have been suggested. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. That means that the expression "Padaung neck rings" is correct. Are the Burmese (Myanmar) females still wearing neck rings? The Burmese Army's counterinsurgency tactics in Kayah State (documented by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations) have included beatings, torture, rape, summary executions, forced labor, and destruction of entire villages. Thai and tribal entrepreneurs based in Chiangmai promoted visits to peoples such as the Lahu, Lisu, and Akha as an affordable and exotic travel experience. The Karenni National People's Liberation Front (KNPLF), an armed cease-fire group, have made attempts to invite the Kayan to return to Kayah State to set up their own tourist villages. A study conducted in 2020 by researchers from Otsuma Womens . People With Long Necks: The Controversial Kayan Tribe in Thailand Here are five indoor plants that you essentially cannot kill. "Disgraceful stuff!" The Padaung have said that this practice originated to protect women from tigers, which often attack a victim by biting the neck. The Padaung's own opinions of the practice have been of little importance to the world outside their mountain home. A must!" There are three Kayan villages in Mae Hong Son province in Thailand. Concerns have been raised about the continued usage of neck coils and the considerable health hazards they offer by causing vertebrae in the spine to collapse. Any content older than 10 years is archival and Cultural Survival does not necessarily agree with the content and word choice today. In January 2008, the UNHCR expressed reservations about tourists visiting the Kayan villages in Northern Thailand due to the provincial governments refusal to allow registered Kayan refugees to take up offers of resettlement in developed countries. Mae Hong Son officials were not unaware of the Padaung women's worth as a tourist attraction. |Fax: +41 22 732-8919 Some of the bamboo walls were stained blue where cloth had been hung to dry. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [Source: Amit R. Paley, Washington Post, August 23, 2009 +++], Describing a trek that climaxed with a trip to a Padaung village Amit R. Paley wrote in the Washington Post, In the morning I scrambled up on an elephant for an hour-long ride that left me sore all over (pachyderms, in case you were wondering, are not ergonomically designed) and a hour-long trip down the Ping River on a bamboo raft precariously held together by strips of rubber tire (I thought all was lost when the raft guide fell into the water after we bumped over some nasty rapids, but he recovered and got us to shore). The Kayan people of Myanmar are known for wearing metal rings - Reddit The Kayan consists of the following groups: Kayan Lahwi (also called Padaung, [bd]), Kayan Ka Khaung (Gekho), Kayan Lahta, Kayan Ka Ngan. This seems to have be a myth. The tour groups would usually stop at a Karenni village for a short talk by an English-speaking Karenni officer about the political and military situation of Kayah State, and then would proceed upriver to the Padaung settlement. Follow these helpful tips to provide the best care for your houseplants. Longest neck | Guinness World Records The practice has become so lucrative that Padaung women can support large families with their earnings. Padaung Modification of the torso focuses on the neck, trunk, and breasts. Most women prefer to wear the rings constantly because the skin underneath is often bruised and discolored. In Thailand, the practice has gained popularity in recent years, because it draws tourists who bring revenue to the tribe and to the local businessmen who run the villages and collect an entry fee of 500 to 600 baht per person. This is an unusually cruel punishment as the cervical vertebrae has become deformed after years of wearing the rings, and the neck muscles have atrophied. It was just a tradition, they said. It is believed that if these rules are violated, misfortune falls upon all their relatives. In this respect Myanmar, particularly the east with its rich and diverse ethnic minorities, is well endowed. A few journalists ventured there to cover the frontier war, including a French photographer who published photographs of "les femmes girafes" in European magazines. About three miles north of town three long-neck women live in a small village; and about ten miles down the road there is another village near Cabusera with four long-neck women and an Italian who speaks English and doesn't mind answering questions. [Source: Amit R. Paley, Washington Post, August 23, 2009]. Having an elongated neck has been a standard of beauty for centuries, and its a goal some of todays women still strive for. These were worn by various early cultures but are especially associated with the ancient Celts of the European Iron Age, where they were evidently a key indicator of wealth and status, mostly worn by men. The muscles covered by the coil become weakened. Sometimes the coils are placed on girls as young as two. One 12-year-old girl told the New York Times she started wearing the coils when she was six and had 16 around her neck that cost $160. With the takeover of Burma by General Ne Win's military dictatorship in 1962, however, insurgency flared in Kayah State, and raids by mountain-based Karenni rebels caused Loikaw and its environs to be closed to tourism. These heavy coils can weigh as much as 11 pounds (5kg). She is also adorned with jewelry and ornaments of which the most outstanding and unusual are the thick rings of bronze around her neck, worn right up to beneath her chin. It is clearly true that money spent to visit them supports an artificial village from which they essentially cannot leave. However, the exact opposite is true today, as the tradition is alive and well in Myanmar where the look is considered to be beautiful and elegant. Contrary to popular belief, the actual effect isn't stretching the neck. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Other say the custom began as a tribute to a dragon-mother progenitor.According to some people, Padaung women began wearing the coils to protect their necks against tiger attacks and continued wearing them after tigers were no longer a threat because Padaung men found the coils made the women more sexually desirable. 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. The longer the woman's neck is, the more attractive she is. The Padaung, commonly known as the long-necked women, are refugees from Myanmar (formerly Burma) who are famous for their giraffelike appearance, which is produced by brass rings coiled around their necks. Their concern was triggered by the fact that a rumor was spread that should a Padaung woman be disloyal or offend her tribe her neck rings would be removed and that this could cause her to choke to death as a result of her crippled respiratory muscular structure. The government of Myanmar began discouraging neck rings as it struggled to appear more modern to the developed world. The women shifted poses like extremely bored fashion models, and the tourists snapped away with their Nikons and Canons and zoomed in with their camcorders. 1973 Peoples of the Earth: Southeast Asia. Dont be quick to judge, thoughshe ultimately just did something other people use exercises and surgeries to achieve. It depends whether these women are coerced, says National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis. Helen "Lee" Jayu, a Lisu shopkeeper from the same tribe as U Dee, said that all the Padaung are in Thailand under U Dee's patronage and that there are no problems as long as no one leaves the area. Then I saw the pictures of the long-necked tribes in Thailand and Burma in National Geographic and I became fascinated with them.. If they move to a refugee camp, they get an education, but opportunities to earn money or leave the country are limited. In a few African and Asian cultures, neck rings are worn usually to create the appearance that the neck has been stretched. Date: May 11, 2020. Yes, people are being more reckless on the road, and no, youre not wrong for noticing. Cultural Survival E-Newsletter - News and Updates, Information on conferences, meetings and global events pertaining to Indigenous Peoples, 14-1 Breaking Out of the Tourist Trap Part 1. +++, "I am part of a new generation, and I do not like it. Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations, Geneva, Switzerland This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. New Thai Tourist Sight: Burmese 'Giraffe Women' - New York Times Girls start wearing their rings early. The Giraffe Women of the Kayan Tribes- Freaky photos capture the Some Padaung women have removed their rings after converting to Christianity, and others have simply rejected the practice as antiquated and cumbersome. Some fled to Burma to escape war. From the craziest myths in human history to real stories that expose the untold truths behind married life and so much more-our mission at Urbo is to create intriguing content that youll not only enjoy reading, but want to share with the ones who mean the most to you. In late 2008, most of the young women who entered the refugee camp removed their rings. The Padaung tribe is a subgroup of the larger Kayah tribe, which in turn is a subgroup of the Karenni which in turn is a subgroup of the Karen. 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! Padaung, the Long-Neck Women - Figments of a DuTchess 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. Some people have compared the experience to a zoo trip. Women of the Kayan Lahwi tribe are well known for wearing neck rings, brass coils that are placed around the neck, appearing to lengthen it. Both nervous - one ill with stomach cramps - they spent the next three days in a walled enclosure. FEIN 23-7182593. It is hot and uncomfortable," she said. Sign up today to stay informed about the latest news, Cultural Survival program updates, events and MORE 2022 Cultural Survival. 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. It has also been suggested that the coils give the women resemblance to a dragon, an important figure in Kayan folklore. Everyones favorite tragic love story is truer than any of us ever could have thought. Mae Hong Son's public relations officer, Chanerin Samintarapanya, told the Bangkok Post that "the long-necked Karen hilltribe called Padawn is expected to attract a large number of visitors to the fair.". "I have no choice. [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. Decades of warfare in Kayah State have displaced tribal populations. The process would continue with successive ring being added every two years. In middle school, they called me giraffe girl, she said in an interview with HuffPost. Some say the custom have been dreamed up and perpetuated by tour guides. Around the age of twenty, up to twenty three rings are nestled around their necks. [1], Padaung (Kayan Lahwi) women of the Kayan people begin to wear neck coils from as young as age two. Metal rings are also worn on different parts of the body, not just the neck. When working they wear short- sleeved smocks. All the women and girls tried to raise extra money by selling trinkets or charging money to be photographed. 10 Interesting Facts About The Kayan People Of Myanmar Many women have removed the rings for medical examinations. One orphan girl said she was not paid at all. Unlike normal accessories, these rings are for life and may only be removed with the direst of results. Women are never supposed to remove the rings. If you're on social media you've probably seen people making posts trying to sell products or asking you to join their "new business" ventures. Bronze and silver bracelets also cover the womens legs and arms, a custom likely to remain. They cultivate rice in the mountains just south of the town of Loikaw. [Sources: peoplesoftheworld.org; Sydney Morning Herald], No one is really sure how the custom evolved. Though the point of wearing the coils is to elongate a womans neck, thats not actually what it does at all. Otherwise they live relatively normal lives. The custom of wearing neck rings is related to an ideal of beauty: an elongated neck. There have even been reports that some of the Padaung are prisoners held captive in the villages by businessmen. After removing the rings, women report discomfort that fades after about three days. A Padaung women of marriageable age will probably have had her neck extended by aboui 25 cms. Her chin juts over the top ring of a thick coil which spirals around her throat and reaches down to her collarbones. 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. But after pausing, she added: "I would much rather be here than in Burma." The Karenni rebels had an uneasy relationship with the Thai authorities; they were dependent on access to Thailand for supplies and for the black market trade in consumer goods, timber, minerals, and livestock to finance their resistance army. When I asked how they had arrived at this village, they said a man named U Dee, whom they referred to as "the middleman," first began bringing Padaung to the spot about three years ago. The largest is Huay Pu Keng, on the Pai river, close to the Thai Myanmar border. A 2020 estimate puts the population at approximately 180,000. The visit to Sompron is a little strange and awkward. |Email: mission@myanmargeneva.org, Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations, Geneva, Switzerland, Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Factual accounts regarding Tatmadaws attacks on base of so-called PDF, NUG terrorists near Pazigyi village in Kantbalu Township, Sagaing Region, Myanmars response to a politically motivated resolution on Myanmar tabled by Sweden on behalf of the European Union, Myanmar categorically rejects every act of interfering in the sovereign State under the pretext of the Human Rights, Myanmars observations on the draft resolution entitled Situation of human rights in Myanmar at the 52nd Session of the Human Rights Council, Public Health Requirements for Travelers Entering Myanmar through International Commercial Flights. For Thailands Padaung women, the choice is very narrow. Trekking was quite a growth industry at the time; small groups of tourists were crisscrossing northern Thailand on foot, in all-terrain vehicles, and even by elephant in order to visit the mountain villages of tribal people. Although there were accusations that the Padaung women were being used as a freak show or circus attraction, their celebrity increased and they were promoted as a tribe of Thailand. "We do it to put on a show for the foreigners and tourists!" Adultery among Padaung women has always been punished by the removal of the rings, a fate almost literally, worse than death. The neck rings however, may very well become extinct within a generation or two as younger Padaung women are beginning to refuse to fit the rings around their childrens necks. Salvation Mountain is a man-made mountain built to spread the idea of love for one another, and visiting it is a real interesting experience. The other type is one or more spiral metal coils of many turns, often worn only by married women. Huai Seau Tao is a commercial village opened in 1995. 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]. It is usually only removed to be replaced by a new or longer coil. One suggests men put the rings on their women to deter slave traders. +++, Rebellion is brewing in the so-called human zoos where the long-necked women live as virtual prisoners. Above the tour price, each tourist had to pay a Thai "departure tax" at a small customs post on the river, and then ante up an additional $20 to the Karenni rebel administration. Most have come to Thailand to make money displaying themselves to gawking tourists. There are now about 50 families there, including some from a tribe known as "the long ears" because they stretch their lower earlobes by wearing enormous rings. 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. Embarrassed, Thaijun put on her costume and immediately tried to sell me some trinkets and handicrafts. The Kayan residents in Mae Hong Son Province in Northern Thailand refer to themselves as Kayan and object to being called Padaung. Refugee practitioners in Thailand were first accessible to tourists in 1984. Since World War II, as the Padaung have become less isolated from neighboring Karen and Karenni, the neck spiraling process has been on the wane. The Danbury Press. Were not necessarily talking about achieving it with surgical cosmetic procedures, thoughwere talking about the practice of lengthening the neck with rings. They are distinct from, and not to be confused with, the Kayan people of Borneo. 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. In their most distinctive custom, beginning at about five years of age, many Padaung . Questions or comments, e-mail ajhays98@yahoo.com, Ethnic Minorities - Hill Tribes from the Golden Triangle. 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. Tradition vs. exploitation in Thailand | The Seattle Times (In earlier days, copper and gold were used as well.) "Padaung" are the rings they use. It has been said that many of the girls and women enjoy having their coils changed because it is the only opportunity they have to see that area of their bodies uncovered. The Padaung woman's traditional attire consists of a colorful, elegant turban with a short thick loose shift and leggings. The weight of the brass pushes the collar bone down and compresses the rib cage. Some people call them "Karen long neck village Chiang Mai". The fair featured booths showing the crafts and customs of various tribal groups in the province, as well as the "Miss Hill Tribe" beauty contest, notorious for the postcontest auction of teenaged contestants to provincial administrators and police. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit. [12] [5] About 600 Kayan reside in the three villages open to tourists in Mae Hong Sorn, or in the Ban Mai Nai Soy refugee camp. Statistics published in 2005 list 306 Kayan villages, out of which 209 are Roman Catholic, 19 Kan Khwan, 32 Baptist, and 44 Buddhist, of which 2 belong to the Byamaso civil society organization. The Amazing Long Neck Women Of The Kayan Tribe ==, Zember, whose hand darts constantly to her bare neck, admits that taking off the rings was a difficult decision. "If I leave, he might call immigration." In The Hardy Padaungs (1967) Khin Maung Nyunt, one of the first authors to use the term "Kayan", says that the Padaung prefer to be called Kayan. None of the Padaung I spoke to knew of any story or reason for wearing the rings. The Karenni rebels' introductory lecture tried to give the affair a political overtone, but when the boat tourists came ashore at the Padaung camp there was no pretense of "cultural exchange" or learning experience. On the other hand, many of them appeared to prefer living in virtual confinement as long as they are paid and safe. It's that simple! Parents of girls are often very happy and men like to marry long-necked women because of the money they will bring in. A bedinsayah (spirit doctor) puts the coils into place on a day determined by divination to be auspicious. It does severely hamper mobility in conjunction with brass coils wound around the ankles and calves up to the knee. Her tourist pictures had always showed her gazing slightly away from the camera, detached, closed off. I had never seen a Westerner before. Then she said she got used it. The article on the Kayan people states that this is "nonsense", and gives examples of accounts of when the rings are removed. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Due to the duration of their wear, the neck must be propped up with a brace until the muscles can recover their strength. This is an unusually cruel punishment as the cervical vertebrae has become deformed after years of wearing the rings, and the neck muscles have atrophied. Is this economic empowerment, then, or exploitation? "This is our culture. In 1987, the Karenni base was again overrun by Burmese troops, and the local civilians fled by boat to a small village just over the Thai border. [Source: Nick Meo, The Times (London), November 6, 2006 ==], When they arrived a decade ago as refugees from Burmese army offensives ravaging their homeland, the Kayan people meekly accepted their role of being photographed by tourists. "[Source: Amit R. Paley, Washington Post, August 23, 2009 +++], Joy Thaijun, 28, was wearing shorts and a T-shirt when I saw her. 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. "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. Houses stood in small, neat squares made of woven and split bamboo with palm leaf roofs. It is usually only removed to be replaced by a new or longer coil. "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. Padaung women has always been punished by the removal of the rings, a fate almost literally, worse than death. 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. Additionally, the collar feels like an integral part of the body after ten or more years of continuous wear. "We have to stay with the middleman," Mamombee said. Neck rings, or neck-rings, are any form of stiff jewellery worn as an ornament around the neck of an individual, as opposed to a loose necklace. "If you do not wear the rings, your soul will get ill and you can die." This is an unusually cruel punishment as the cervical vertebrae has become deformed after years of wearing the rings, and the neck muscles have atrophied. They were scheduled to appear at a "Northern Provinces Cultural Relations and Promotions Fair" to be held in Mae Hong Son in April.