Sight of the long-necked coiled around the soul
Liz Price
KUALA LUMPUR
23-Jun-07
SOME of the main attractions of Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand are the "long-necked" villages. We chose to visit a village to the south of Mae Hong Son, which is just a few minutes' drive from town.
Driving along the narrow track to the village we had to give way to some elephants who were going to work. The Mae Hong Son area is popular for training of elephants. Former governors of Chiang Mai used to organise the rounding up of wild elephants which were then trained before being sent to the capital for work. Today elephants are still a common sight.
After negotiating the behemoth traffic, we then had to drive through a small stream. We parked on the other side and as we walked up to the village more elephants passed us. They were oblivious of us tourists, as they were intent on going to work a rural early morning rush hour.
We had to cross a small bridge to get to the village, and the bridge was busy with two wheel traffic youth on motorbikes and children on bicycles. The "tourist village" consists of two streets of souvenir stalls which are run by the long-necked women. These Padaung people are Karen refugees from Myanmar. There are approximately 300,000 Karen in Thailand, making them by far the most populous minority group there.
The Padaung women traditionally wear tight brass rings around their necks. I've seen them on documentaries such as National Geographic, but it was fascinating to see them for myself in real life. My friend commented that it was like being in a human zoo, but the locals were totally oblivious of our stares and were more interested in calling us to their stall to buy some souvenirs.
The brass ornaments worn on the neck and limbs look like separate rings, but in fact they are actually continuous coils. I was astounded to learn that they may weigh up to 22kg, although 5kg is a more common maximum. Imagine having 5kg around your neck resting on your shoulders. The coils are about 30cm high and depress the collarbone and rib cage, making it look as if the necks have been stretched.
I've seen documentaries which suggest that this practice is medically detrimental, but the women seemed cheerful enough. Apparently they can take the coils off. But I remember reading of one lady who had heavy neck coils and never took them off, and after a lifetime of wearing them she decided to remove them. However, her neck muscles were so weak that she couldn't support her head, so she asked for the coils to be replaced.
No one knows how the coil custom started. One story says it was to make the women less attractive to men from other tribes, another story says it was to stop tigers from carrying the women off by the throat. But whatever the reason, the custom of wearing the coils is slowly dying out, as less girls choose to wear them nowadays.
In addition to the coils, the women also wear thin hoops made of cane or lacquered cord in bunches around their knees and calves. Their clothes are brightly coloured, and many wear stunning decorative headdresses. I spent most of my time wandering around the village taking photos and hardly looked at the souvenirs for sale. However, the women don't mind the photography as they consider it as part of their livelihood.
The Karen sell handmade items such as dolls, cloth and jewellery, as well as pens and postcards. I realised there were no men to be seen in the village, although there were some down by the river playing a guitar.
As with the Orang Asli and Penan groups in Malaysia, it is left to the womenfolk to make and sell handicraft. Apparently the Padaung men are famous for producing the best mahouts, or elephant handlers, in the region.
The houses where the people live surround the tourist section. The houses are made of wood and bamboo and the roof from leaves. The village has a simple classroom for the children. And I noticed a small church at the top end of the village but I don't know how many of the people are Christians.
The long-necked village business is run by an insurgent group which is trying to establish an independent state in eastern Myanmar. There are around 7,000 Padaung there, and about 300 have fled to Thailand as refugees.
The bulk of the entry fees charged to tourists go to the insurgents, but the women can make good money through the souvenirs sold. Sometimes the women put on dance shows for tourists or demonstrate their weaving techniques.
Some people say its bad to visit these villages in that it encourages the Padaungs to continue the practice of wearing coils, which is potentially damaging to their body. Others say it is good to visit, as you are supporting the people by giving them an income.
So at the end of the day it is up to you to decide which theory you subscribe to, but I was certainly glad to have had the opportunity to see them.
The Brunei Times
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