L I F E S T Y L E
Travel & Adventure
Saturday February 4, 2006
Curious coil custom of the Karen
By LIZ PRICE
ONE of the main attractions in Mae Hong Son province in Thailand is the “long-necked” village. Being a typical tourist, I naturally went for a visit.
We chose a village to the south of Mae Hong Son, a few minutes drive from town.
The track to the village was narrow, and we had to give way to some elephants on the way to work. The Mae Hong Son area is popular for training elephants. The former governors of Chiang Mai used to organise the rounding-up of wild elephants, which were then trained and sent to the capital to work. The legacy has endured.
After negotiating the traffic, we drove through a small stream and parked on the other side. As we walked up to the village, more elephants and their mahouts passed by. They were oblivious of us tourists, caught up in a rural, early morning rush hour, as it were.
A Karen woman tending her souvenir stall.
We had to cross a small bridge to get to the village, and the bridge was busy with youths on motorbikes and children on pushbikes.
The “tourist village” consists of two streets of souvenir stalls run by the long-necked (or Padaung) women. These are Karen refugees from Myanmar. There are about 300,000 Karen in Thailand, making them by far the most populous minority group.
The Padaung women traditionally wear tight brass rings around their necks. One might have seen them on National Geographic, but it was fascinating all the same to see them in person. My friend Jessie commented that it was like being in a human zoo, but the locals were totally oblivious of our stares and were more interested in hawking their souvenirs to us.
The brass ornaments worn on the neck and limbs look like separate rings, but, in fact, they are continuous coils. I was astounded to learn that they may weigh up to 22kg, although they are usually 5kg. Still, imagine wearing 5kg around your neck. 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 not good for health, but the women seemed cheerful enough. Apparently they can take the coils off. But I remember reading of one lady who, after a lifetime of wearing the coils, decided to remove them. However, her neck muscles were so weak that she couldn’t support her head, so she had to put the coils back on.
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 says it was to stop tigers from carrying the women off by the throat. Whatever the reason, the custom of wearing the coils is slowly but surely dying out, as fewer and fewer 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 headdresses. I spent most of my time wandering around the village taking photos and hardly looked at the souvenirs for sale. The women don’t mind the photography as they consider it part of their livelihood.
Elephants get right of way here. —Pictures by LIZ PRICE
The Karen sell handmade items such as dolls, cloth, jewellery, as well as pens and postcards.
There were no men to be seen in the village, although there were some down by the river playing guitar. As with the Orang Asli and Penan groups in Malaysia, the Padaung womenfolk make and sell the handicrafts. Apparently the Padaung men are famous for being among the best mahouts in the region.
Their homes are made of wood and bamboo, and the roof from leaves. The village has a simple classroom for the children. I noticed a small church at the top end of the village but have no idea how many Christians are here.
The long-necked village business is run by an insurgent group who are 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. Sometimes the women put on dance shows or demonstrate their weaving techniques.
Some people say it’s bad to visit these villages because it encourages the Padaungs to continue the practice of wearing coils, which potentially damages their body. Others say it is good to visit, as you are supporting the people by giving them an income. At the end of the day, it is up to you to decide, but I was glad to have had the opportunity to see them. W
Related Stories:
Wats the draw?
No comments:
Post a Comment