kayan people
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© 2011 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.
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KAYAN LAHWI, THE “LONG-NECK” PEOPLE
By M.G. Edwards
On October 24, my family and I visited a
village just off the highway in Mae Hong Son,
Thailand that was home to members of the
Kayan Lahwi and the Ahka indigenous groups.
Located not far from the Burmese border,
the village’s main attraction was the women and
girls of the Kayan Lahwi, who wore brass coils
that elongated their necks. This practice has
given the group renown around the world as the
“long-neck” people.
Originally from Burma, many Kayan fled to Thailand in the 1980s and 1990s
following conflicts with the Burmese government. Because their legal status in Thailand
is reportedly still uncertain, some have capitalized on their unique cultural practice to
attract tourists who pay a steep entrance fee (400 Thai baht, or about $13.50 per adult) to
take photos of and with the women and to buy their handcrafts.
The Kayan women I met spent much of their time making hand-woven scarves. They
willingly let tourists take photos, although some younger women looked uncomfortable.
We tried to be sensitive and asked permission before taking photos. Other tourists were
not so polite and snapped away. They seemed to justify their behavior based on the cost
of entry. If they paid for it, they’re entitled to it, or so they thought.
The entrance fee and booths that featured the women gave the village a carnival air.
Some international organizations and human rights groups have questioned the humanity
of these tourist attractions and whether they exploit the indigenous. The sentiments
among the Kayan themselves seemed mixed; at least as far as I could ascertain from the
meager English we exchanged and body language. Some women seemed happy and
content, while others were clearly uncomfortable with gawking tourists. I noticed that
© 2011 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.
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younger girls no more than 14 years old were more reserved. Without a doubt, these
youths bear a heavy responsibility being the primary breadwinners for their families. The
majority of tourists who visit come to see them.
After I lifted a sample brass coil that must have weighed five pounds, I asked one girl
what it was like to wear one. She told me that it was heavy and hot. Some say that the
practice of wearing coils is inhumane, although that falls into the murky debate over
whether an ethnic tradition that has existed for centuries or
millennia is a
violation of human
rights. The coils
and traditional
dresses made the
women more noble
and unforgettable
with a beauty that
could only be
found among the Kayan. Their presence overshadowed us
tourists. I imagine that tourists like me with an oversize
backpack that made me look like a tortoise were a strange
sight to them.
Men were almost nowhere to be seen, although I snapped a photo of a man driving a
motorcycle with children playfully chasing him. The banana trees and rice fields nearby
indicated
that the
men
spend
much of
their time
growing
food.
© 2011 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved.
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In the end, we paid the entrance fee and bought some souvenirs, including a hand-
woven scarf, in the hope that the money raised would directly benefit the Kayan. No
matter their situation, I was grateful to have had the opportunity to meet them, learn more
about their culture, and take away something to remember them by.
© 2011 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be
reproduced or transmitted without the written consent of the author. To read more
stories by M. G. Edwards, visit http://www.mgedwards.com/.
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