myanmar long neck without rings

Thailand's famous long neck tribe are called the Padaung, but despite their name, they don't actually have long necks. One woman even discovered that mold had been growing on the area of her neck hidden under the rings, and she developed permanent scars from wearing them. The Karen people would trade custom woven fabrics for brass rings with their Shan neighbors. In Thailand, they are a cultural oddity that travelers from around the world pay to see. They are not satisfied with just looking at the soul-stirring pictures in National Geographic. This CBT model is a win-win for everyone. Next our guide took us to meet another neighbor, Dha Mu Ayea. The solid brass rings (it is actually a coil) depress the collar bones making the neck appear longer than normal. He spent the final weeks of our sabbatical safeguarding the newest addition to his instrument collection. The married duo with 7 children and 30 grandchildren love entertaining visitors with their homemade instruments. As I shared the details of our Myanmar itinerary, including visiting the Long Neck women, his tone subtly changed from interest to judgment. Your info is safe with us for two reasons: 1) it is slimy to sell personal info, and 2) I wouldn’t know how to even if I wanted to. In fact non-Padaung and overseas visitors enjoy visiting the Pan Pat village, having the opportunity to experiment with the famous Padaung fashion. The industry drew disapproval from outside observers who compare the set up to a human zoo that exploits migrants as mere curiosities. For five years, Sydney V. Smith had tried to extend the length of her neck by encasing it in 15 copper rings. The brass neck rings weigh around 10 pounds (or 4.5 kilograms) and they can have up to an additional 30 pounds of rings that they wear on their arms and legs weighing them down. Busloads of selfie-snapping tourists make day trips from Chiang Mai and surrounds to glimpse this ancient fashion statement. Most visitors will require two translators to ensure a meaningful visit. We are not responsible if you decide to clean out your life savings, quit your job, leave your spouse, or drop out of school to travel. The Long Neck ladies start wearing heavy brass rings around their necks (and ankles) from a very young age, most likely around 3-5 years old. Our mission is to help other families travel boldly. We sat squished next to each other in very cramped seats on a very full flight to Bangkok. What many of these tourists don’t realize is that the Kayan tribe is not from Thailand. In reality they very rarely appear in public without their neck rings but they do remove and replace the coils with new sets if and when necessary. The recent years have seen the rise of Community-Based Tourism (CBT) in these tribal villages. In the surrounding villages, you will find Kayhto Bo or sacred spirit poles, worshipped once a year by some tribes who preserved their traditional animist practices. Why are they wearing neck rings? It is a controlled tourism that funnels tourist dollars (or Myanmar Kyats) into a village and provides an authentic, meaningful experience for travelers. […] These three tribes are easily visited from the town of Loikaw. The Kayah State Cultural Museum will help you understand the history, as well as the eccentricities of the region. We had connected. Not too far from the Kayan village of Pan Pet is the Kayah village of … When the dark times in Myanmar, they ran away from the country regime (along with all the people from their tribe) and sought refuge in the north of Thailand. Like the Kayan and Kayah tribes, they dress in traditional attire unique to their tribe. Here, they live regular lives – chatting with friends, walking on the streets, or buying goods from the market. While Loikaw’s tourism is still in its infancy, the sleepy town has its fair share of must-see destinations. For decades, Kayah State was off-limits to visitors due to the skirmish between ethnic rebels and the Burmese military. She started wearing the rings when she was 7 years old (she started with nine rings). We are an Alabama family with a passion for adventure and culture. Ethical cultural travel is a very real dilemma. For detailed information about visiting these fascinating people, be sure to check out these tips for ethically visiting Myanmar’s Long Neck women. It was hard not to notice the world-class photographer’s stunning portfolio displayed on his laptop right next to mine. You will find orderly little booths selling handcrafted wooden dolls, locally-woven scarves, and curious trinkets, including individual bronze neck rings. Besides, independent travelers wouldn’t have a meaningful experience without a guide (or two). Visit Myanmar's K-Tribes: Kayan, Kayah, and Kayaw | 4 Worn Passports, Travelers Beware! It’s no secret that he harbors a soft spot for women who can strum a guitar and carry a tune (although I can do neither). Inge van Schooneveld. We ditched school (twice) in exchange for a global education using the world as our classroom. The Thai government quickly realized that the unique tradition of wearing brass neck rings is a tourist magnet. Myanmar’s recent history is complicated. Don’t ruin this once-in-a-lifetime experience with a group of random people. Now the brass coil circles her neck 27 times. Some people wonder, however, if tourists will still come to … Nestled in the hilly regions of eastern Myanmar, Kayah State hides behind its sluggish façade, a world of enthralling wonders, enigmas, and intrigues. Here we share the secrets to extraordinary adventures on an ordinary budget. Exotic women with modest smiles, their heads floating on layers upon layers of brass rings, necks stretched out to impossible lengths. Your kids only have one childhood…make it one to remember! As my seatmate and many travel bloggers have reported, the Kayan Long Neck villages (officially known as the Padaung) in Thailand have turned into human zoos. Follow along for trip ideas, budget tips, practical advice, and funny (and not-so-funny) stories from traveling the world. The coils could weigh up to 25 pounds, depressing the collar bones of the women and making their necks appear elongated. With its wooden houses, empty roads, morning markets, and small farms where chickens roam free, the town exudes a rural charm that is perfect for a relaxing break after a long day of sightseeing. I’m SO excited about that part.”, PHOTOGRAPHER: “There’s a lot of negative publicity about the unethical exploitation of the Long Neck women and how they’ve turned into human zoos. Wearing the rings around the neck do not elongate the neck. At the Weaving Center, you can learn about the art of weaving and dyeing a longyi. That is the benefit of visiting a website that is managed by a non-technical person. This is especially true if your itinerary includes visiting the minority ethnic groups. Kayan girls begin to wear the neck rings at the age of five, starting with four or five bands and adding more each year as they adapt to the increased weight. Contrary to belief, the women can remove the rings without risking breaking their necks. Whether you’re visiting these ethnic groups of Myanmar or somewhere else, get to know the people first. Back home, the neck rings are part of an ancient and complicated tradition. The tradition says when a Padung girl reaches eight or nine years of her age, she must put on a brass or silver ring in her neck. It went something along the lines of this: KELLIE: “We’re going to all the typical places like Yangon, Inle Lake, Bagan, and Mandalay, but we’re also going to Loikaw to visit the ethnic tribes. The Kayaw wear brass rings around their legs. The beauty and grace of a long neck is exemplified by the addition of heavy golden jewelry depicting both wealth and beauty. Community Based Tourism (CBT) partners those ethnic villagers who want to share their culture with travelers who want to experience it. Nestled in the hilly regions of eastern Myanmar, Kayah State hides behind its sluggish façade, a world of enthralling wonders, enigmas, and intrigues. As one worker succinctly surmised, tourists will not be interested in visiting the community if the village is developed. Learn how your comment data is processed. Don't Get Stranded by Chase Travel Insurance, Plan Your Budget Family Vacation to the Luxurious Maldives, Volunteering at Delhi's Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh Community Kitchen, Four Rules You Need to Know Before Visiting Iceland's Geothermal Pools, Chase Travel Insurance + Trip Interruption = Vacation Nightmare, Learn to Meditate at Truc Lam, Da Lat, Vietnam's Buddhist Monastery. Experts say there are now fewer than 100 long-neck women in Myanmar. The men in this hill tribe are likely to be attracted to the long-necked partners, and the one with the longest neck is the most fabulous. Padaung women of Myanmar wear brass or silver rings and so their neck is about a feet long. This village is home of the Kayaw tribe. This is the local ehnic of Kayan or Pandaung long neck tribe, the oldest tribe in Myanmar. More importantly, they, too, have marvelous stories to tell. These are simply our experiences–the good, the bad, and the laughable. Even the Kayan people do not know exactly how the tradition began. Dha Mu Ayea has three daughters, one son, and 19 grandchildren. Neck rings push the clavicle and ribs down. They just wouldn’t. This is really frowned upon. The Karen tribe are refugees from Myanmar. Every year one more ring is added and later on, they must be worn in legs and arms too. On good days, the women make as much as 700 baht by selling souvenirs, supplementing the 1,500 baht they receive as monthly salary from the village owners. No Tour Group. Even the Kayan people do not know exactly how the tradition began. By nature, travelers seek to explore deeply and authentically. Do yourself a huge favor and educate yourself a little before arriving. Pan Pat, Myanmar – Women of the Kayan tribe in Myanmar are well known for wearing brass coils around their necks their entire lives in order to … […]. “long – neck” Kayan women of Myanmar. They love to trade stories, play their musical instruments, and perhaps offer a drink or two of their homemade rice wine. Some of the women work for six months in long neck villages in Thailand, particularly during peak season, and spend the rest of the year in Myanmar. The Rings. The most famous and recognizable of Myanmar’s 135 ethnic groups are the Padaung women, also known as long-neck or giraffe women, who live in Pan Pet Village. If you want to meet — and we mean, really meet, not just snap pictures, buy a souvenir, and leave – the Kayan long neck women, the best place to do so is in their homeland. While the neck rings make the women’s necks appear long, in reality, the weight of the coils pushes down the muscles around the collarbone and compresses the rib cage - … Whether you are planning a two-week vacation, or a family sabbatical, we’re here to help! The rings create an illusion. We laughed, we danced, and we even recorded a message to my mom from her. Despite many negative traveler reports, it is possible to ethically visit Myanmar’s long neck women and other ethnic tribes. Having a real conversation with others is the best way to get the authentic experience that travelers seek. Almost all of them are refugees who fled Myanmar in the 1980s to escape the political unrest and persecution in the Kayah State. Apart from the brass neck rings, the Padaung also wear rings on… Posted on January 12, 2018. The Kayan Lahwi is undisputedly the most recognizable of Myanmar’s 135 ethnic groups, mainly because of their long neck women, so-called for wearing coils of brass rings around their necks. She proudly informs us that she is the smallest giraffe woman. That is down from about 300 to 400 in the 1990s. The restriction compels the Kayan women to continue working in long neck villages. Following are the three tribes that are easily visited as day trips from Loikaw: Kayan, Kayah, and Kayaw. To visit Myanmar’s Karen tribes you will want to base yourself in Loikaw. Coils weighing up to 25 pounds depress the chest and shoulders. The total weight of Ma Nun’s coils is a daunting 13kg. In 2006, the state slowly opened its doors to local and international tourists. And when it is time for pictures, Dha Mu Ayea appears equally smitten with Dale. For many of these families, tourism is the only source of income, as the Thai government strictly limits their access to employment. The authentic experiences we had never would have happened if we had been in a group of 15 people, much less with a busload. We are not travel agents, insurance agents, accountants, attorneys, or any other type of professional. Loikaw, the capital of Kayah, serves as a base for tourists who want to explore the state. The once-bustling villages now look deserted. After pouring four cups of tea, we sat down to get acquainted. Today, the rings function as accessories and a cultural sign of beauty. This creates the illusion of disembodied head hovering over a shimmering pedestal of gold rings. Keeping all of the K-tribes straight is no easy task. A Los Angeles woman who once aspired to be a real-life “giraffe woman” is tired of sticking her neck out. By following these tips, travelers can peek behind the curtain of the world’s most fascinating cultures without turning them into human zoos. The origins of the Kayan Long Neck Tribe, which is a sub-group of the Red Karen people, are in Myanmar, where thousands of these people live in the mountains just across the Thai border. With ten tribal minorities inhabiting the region, Kayah is the most ethnically diverse state in the country. Besides, they are very good at wood carving and weaving. Many Padaung women living in Myanmar do remove the coils, because the Myanmar government frowns on the practise of wearing neck coils. A great experience and not as demanding  as the hot air balloon ride in Bagan. Do not visit with a tour group! With the closure of several tourist-based businesses in Thailand at the onset of the pandemic, many Kayan workers have lost their means of livelihood. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. And just like that, the ethical travel seeds of doubt were planted. The CBT paradigm is a win-win for everyone:  it brings income to the villagers and provides tourists with a genuinely meaningful experience. Within two minutes of meeting her, I knew that I’d met a kindred spirit. The neck-rings have been part of an ancient tradition among female members of the Kayan group native to Kayah State in Myanmar. Knowing the value of hospitality, many of these women will ask you to their homes (and they usually have better houses here compared to the overcrowded ones in Thailand). A wider coil is worn near the shoulders with a small coil wrapped around it at 90 degrees, then the remaining neck rings climb up to right below the earlobes. Not too far from the Kayan village of Pan Pet is the Kayah village of Hta Nee La Leh. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The first guide will translate English into Burmese, and then the village guide translates Burmese into the tribal language. Meet the Kayan-Padaung women. Currently, tribe has population of about 7,000. The custom of wearing neck rings is related to an ideal of beauty: an elongated neck. While the Kayan women are famous for wearing the brass neck rings, the Kayah women are recognized by their lacquer leg rings, signature red outfit, elaborate necklaces and massive earlobe holes. Also, contrary to belief, the women will not suffocate if the rings are removed. Despite the nickname, the women’s necks aren’t actually elongated. Then check out the following: Burial, Cremation and Reincarnation in Bali. In that sense, a tribal woman can wear up to 16kg necklaces, and her neck can be as long as 40cm. Nestled in the mountains 2 1/2 hours from Loikaw, sits Htay Kho Village. Your travel to Myanmar will be greatly enriched by reading this book first. If you are looking for an unusual place to stay, the recently launched Pekhon Houseboat on Lake Pekhon, a scenic lake a little over six miles from Loikaw, provides unique accommodation. In the town center, you can stroll down Thiri Mingalar Market, explore local street food at Daw Na market on the banks of the Pilu River, or sample authentic Burmese cuisine at a lakeside restaurant in Naung Yah. The Kayan consists of the following groups: Kayan Lahwi (also called Padaung, ပဒေါင်[bədàʊɰ̃]), Kayan Ka Khaung (Gekho), Kayan Lahta, Kayan Ka Ngan. Upon our arrival, a couple of Kayah women quickly whisked Riley away to begin her makeover–Kayah style. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Alongside the Kayan in northern Thailand are the so-called Kayaw, or ‘long-ear people’, also originating from Myanmar. In their hometown, they don’t pretend to work furiously on looms weaving cloths or smile blankly at tourists while standing at the foot of souvenir stalls. Now, the region is fast becoming the favorite of intrepid travelers who are longing for off-the-beaten-path spots to explore, from the undulating Dawna Range to the lush Karen Hills and the wild Salween River. When the girl was in young age, they started to be worn bronze necklaces round their neck and rings on legs. Dale’s fascination with the bamboo guitar ended with him purchasing theirs. ... without neck-rings. In the hills of Northern Thailand, right at the border of Myanmar, lives a tribe of Karenni people called Kayan Lahwi. Finally, Dha Mu Ayea serenades us with her handmade guitar and Dale is smitten. Village guides serve as hosts and escort tourists to meet with villagers who want to participate in this cultural exchange. Unlike the put-up long neck villages in Thailand, where the atmosphere seems a little bit staged, Pan Pet shows you the authentic Kayan way of life without invading the privacy and dignity of the villagers. It can be easy to forget which name goes with which group. The coils could weigh up to 25 pounds, depressing the collar bones of the women and making their necks appear elongated. While the tribes are not as popular as their long neck women counterparts, their unique costume, consisting of polished leg rings, bright red clothes, ornate necklaces, and huge earlobe holes, is quite a fashion statement. Use of this site may infect you with the travel bug, too. However, their signature accessory is a sort of mash up of the other two. And like they Kayah, they have massive earlobe holes too. After Riley’s makeover, it was off to meet the town musicians, Daw Soe Myar and U Mi Reh. A full set of the neck rings can weigh as much as 22 pounds Credit: Barcroft Media Another theory is that the coils help protect the women of the tribe from tiger attacks as the coils covers the neck. 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