© 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

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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.

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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/.