Part of the Chiang Rai tour stopped at a hill tribe village. Monika, Liza, Suk and I paid the extra 200bhat ($6) to see the village. The Karen people are a group of people primarily from the south of Myanmar (Burma).
Many of the Karens live in the Karen State in Myanmar while some are refugees who have settled along the border of Thailand and Myanmar. This is the group that I went to go see and they are part of the Padaung tribe called the Kayan Lahwi tribe. They are best known for the neck rings worn by the women. During the conflict with the military in Myanmar, many of the tribes fled to the Thai border and among the refugee camps were the Long Neck tribe.
Girls first start to wear the rings when they are 5 years old. As they grow older, the coil is replaced by a longer one and more turns are added. The neck itself does not lengthen but the weight of the brass pushes the collar bone down and compresses the rib cage. Our tour guide told us that back in the day the women wore the coils to protect them from tiger bites and have since then become part of their culture.
While visiting this village, I felt really awkward. I knew going in that it would set up for tourists but it didn’t help feeling like I was at a zoo… They had their handmade crafts available for purchase and some girls were making scarves. Behind the shopping stalls you could see their houses. You could even try on the coils if you wanted to, I didn’t but my Monika and Liza did. Aside from the unsettling feeling, it was interesting to see and learn about their culture.