|
The tribe of the "Long Neck Women"
 The tribe of the "Long Neck " and "Long Ears" Women.
There are three Padung villages and all the three are near the Burmese border, not far from the city of Mae Hong Son.
The villages are
□ Huei Sua Tao .
□ Na Soi .
□ Nam Pieng Din .
You can fly from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son, see one or two villages and fly back on the same day. It is not recommended
!!! You better stay at least 3 days in this one of the most beautiful provinces of Thailand - Mae Hong Son. There is
much to see in and around the provincial city.
The Padung are a sub-group of Karen (Bwe Group) living in Kayah state of eastern Burma on the Thailand border. Their
numbor is less than 40,000 people. The Padung call themselves "Lae Kur" or "Kayan". They have their own language belongs
to the Kenmic group in the Tibeto-Burman language family.
The Karen themseves are not one homogeneous group but rather a loose confederation of heterogeneous and closely related
tribes. Among the smallest Karen tribes in Thailand are the Karen Padaung.
In Thailand, only a few families of Padaung have settled temporarily as refugees in Muang District of Mae Hong Son
Province, living among other hilltribes groups, mostly Karen, and being the one of the main reasons for visiting
tourists to that area.
The Padung escape from the Kaya State in Burma to Thailand in this century and are actually refugees of a political
turmoil. They belong to the Karenni sub-group of the Karen People, which are still fighting for their independence in
Burma.
 The Karen-Padung occupied central Burma before the Burmese arrived from
the North and they, together with the ancient Mon, farmed the Irrawaddy and Salween Valleys and built civilizations
based on their unique cultures.
The Padung women are putting brass rings around their necks. This distorts the growth of their collarbones and make them
look as if they have long necks - which they don't. This row of brass rings do not actually stretch their necks but in
fact squash the vertebrae and collar bones. A woman generally has about twenty or more rings around her neck. This neck
ring adornment is started when the girls are 5 or 6 years old.
The rings on the arms and the legs are not quite as prominent as those on the neck simply because the neck rings are so
pronounced. However, these rings are just as important. The rings on the arms are worn on the forearm from the wrist to
the elbow. Those on the legs are worn from the ankles to the knees, and cloth coverings are kept over most of these
rings, from the shins down to the ankles. 
Other Karen-Padung tribes reside in Phrae Province, and Baan Tha Ton in far north Chiang Mai province [close to Aka's
Guest Home 14 km from Baan Tha Ton]. The Karen-Padung in Phrae live in the Wang shin District, in Mae Sin Village, Kang
Jai Village and Mae Pong Village. These are in the vicinity of KM 75 on the Phrae-Wangchin Road. The women of. these
Karen tribes display their beauty, and their status as married women, by wearing carved elephant tusk in their ears.
When a woman is married, her ears are pierced and an elephant tusk of one to four centimeters in length is inserted.
During the early stages the ear pieces are quite small, especially for younger women. The weight of the tusks gradually
weighs down on the ear lobe and the ear gets larger and larger, and longer and longer. Then larger tusks are inserted
and the process repeats itself until the woman's ears become extremely elongated and floppy. The married woman wears
these ear pieces for life.
 The tradition of these Karen - Padung who are sometimes referred to as the
"Long-Ears" is one of the oldest of peoples in this part of the world. Long before any of the present day territories
were formed by boundaries into nations or countries, the peoples of Southeast Asia, particularly mountain dwellers,
practiced a custom known as "Loaded Ears". According to this custom, the ears, being one of the most sacred parts of the
body, were an important object of adornment. For beauty in the women and for strength in the men, the ears of both sexes
were loaded. Today, among the Karen-Padaung of Phrae and of Burma, this tradition is continued for the female gender
only, once married.
Unmarried girls in these tribes do not wear the ear pieces, but they do wear white dresses, in contrast to the red and
black dresses worn by the married women, and on the backs of their hands a few magical words are written in spiritual
languages. These words carry meaning to bless these girls to have a happy life.
Most of Padung are animists, but about 10 percent are Buddhists. Now, the number of Christians is increasing because of
the Roman Catholic mission. The annual festival for the fertility and prosperity of the whole community is usually held
at the beginning of the rainy season. Sacrifices are made to the spirits for good health and bountiful harvests. Rice is
the Padung main crop.
|
