The long – necked Karen hill tribes or Padaung is one of the latest hill tribe immigrants who have come to form a new minority group in Thailand

 

The Padaung prefer to call themselves "kayan", but Thai people call them the "Karieng Koh Yao" which means "the long-necked Karen hill tribe". The Padaung are a unique clan of the greater Karen people who inhibit the Thai-Burmese borderlands. Eight years ago there were no Padaung in Thailand, but in 1987, following a destructive attack by the Rangoon's ruthless armed forces, about 300 of these people abandoned the Burma's Shan State and crossed the Thai-Burmese border to seek temporary shelter in Thailand. They hope to retrun home when peace talks between the Burmese authorities and the minority insurgents of Shan State become fruitful.

 

The Padaung are of peaceful nature and agriculture is their main occupation. They grow various dry land crops such as maize, millet and cotton. They also raise live-stock to sell for extra-income. What distinguishes the padaung from the rest of the hill tribes is the spectacular costume of their women which is completely unique. While the men dress in loose trousers and short coats similar to that of other Shan and Karen males, the female Padaung wear a neck band of brall coils which varies from 5 to 25 coils according to the woman's ahe. The purpose of this is to lengthen the neck as much as possible, as it is considered a mard of beauty.

 

There are several reasons behind the practice of placing brass rings around their necks. Firstly, it is probably to prevent the risk of being eaten by tigers as they believe that the creature will usually attack its prey in the throat. The second possible reason is to make their women look unattractive so that they will not become the victim of some rulers who round up the girls for consorts. The third and last reason is related to the Kayan mythology which recounts the beauty of a dragon w2ith a long neck. Th dragon was impregnated by the wind and gave birth to the first Kayan people. Till these days Kayan women wear neck rings to imitate the beautiful dragon.

 

Young girls begin to wear the first four rings at the age of 5 or 6, and at least one is added each year as they grow. By the time of adulthood a girl may have as many as 25 of the brass rings which extend from her collar bones upwards to the vicinity of her ear lobes. The total height of this brass column may be up to 30 centimeters, weighing almost 8 kilogrammes.

 

Apart from their neck wear, the traditional dress of Padaung women is quite similar to that of  other Karen tribes. The head is coverd with scarf. The coat is a long woven blouse with a V-neck and short arms, while the skirt is a knee-length striped blue and red grarment. The forearms are decorated with heavy silver bracelets. Below each knee, they also wear many brass rings similar to that of the neck rings

 

To outsiders, it may seem uncomfortable and look strange, but for the Padaung women, they are proud of their unique cultural heritage.  

 

Visitors should take some time and visit the wonderful people of the Karen tribe in Chiang Mai. They live near the border of Burma, and the time taken to reach their village would be about 4 hours or so from town. Do NOT liken seeing these indigeneous people as seeing the animals in the zoo. They have a rich culture, and as they do speak a spattering of the English language, you can also ask them about their lifestyle. Traditionally the women who could afford it would start wearing brass coils on their necks, arms and legs from the time they're 5 years old. The coils would be polished daily so that'd they'd have a high sheen. They'll upgrade their coils whenever they can afford it. The average weight of a coil on an adult woman's neck is about 3 - 5 kg!!! You can buy nice hand-woven cloth at the village. It'll help improve their way of life.

 

The Akha village is situated right next to the Karen's. Women of the Akha tribe chew betel nut leaves which will leave an unsightly reddish-blackish stain on their teeth. The Akhas are known for thier toolwork and you can buy wood carvings and silverware at their village.