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 them “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 inhabit 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 return 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 livestock 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 meals, the female Padaung wear a neck band of brass coils which varies from 5 to 25 coins according to the woman's age. The purpose of this is to lengthen the neck as much as possible, as it is considered a mark 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 the dragon with a long neck. The 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 kilogram's.
Apart from their neckwear, the traditional dress of Padaung women is quite similar to that of other Karen tribes. The head is covered 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 garment. 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.
Unfortunately, this occupation is being threatened by various factors, for example, low paddy price, scarcity of water for the second-rice cultivation and the construction of housing estates or commercial complexes, which frequently bring pollution to nearby areas. Moreover, the new generation tends to abandon this century-old occupation to work in factories in the city or other occupation that offers them better income.
Now it is time to help the backbone of our country to carry on their task, otherwise they cannot survive due to these various challenges. If ever our farmers are forced to give up their occupation we will definitely have to import rice to eat and if the situation turns to be like this, the occupation of our forefathers will cease to exist and Thailand will lose its name as the “rice bowl” of the world.
