The Kayan Women of Ban Nai Soi Village

The Kayan people (who have also been referred to as Padoung or Long-Neck women) are now thought to have a population of about 7000.  Of these, about 300 have fled to Thailand and live along the Thai/Myanmar border in three villages in Mae Hon Song province.  The village of Nai Soi is the largest Kayan settlement and also the most distant from Mae Hon Song town.  The women who live here are exceedingly hospitable and friendly.

The Kayan face many of the hardships which other hill tribe peoples face in Thailand.  They are not recognized as Thai citizens.  As such, they do not have access to medical care, public education, or other rights granted to citizens.  Further, they are not permitted to be employed within Thailand. Few men can be spotted about the village, as they are generally out labouring in the rice fields.  Besides substenance farming, the Kayan  women are able to supplement the family income by weaving and making crafts.  The people who come to visit the Kayan  villages provide a much needed source of income.

There are many myths surrounding the Kayan custom of elongating the neck.  The truth is that they do no even have elongated necks!  The heavy brass coils which they fit around their necks press down on the rib cage and cause the ribs to grown downwards.  Furthermore, the weight of the coils pushes the necks and shoulder muscles deep into the shoulders.  This creates the illusion of a longer neck, when in fact it is the upper body which has been shaped into the appearance of a longer neck.  I lifted some of the neck coils, and they are indeed heavy, weighing anywhere from 5 to 20 kilos!

The most persistent myth about the Longneck women is that their necks will collapse without the support of the brass rings.  This is simply not true!  Research, medical x-rays and extended interviews with the Kayan in their native language have confirmed this.  The women certainly do feel drafty and uncomfortable without their coils, which is to be expected considering they have worn them since the age of 5!  But they can remove the coils and will and often do remove them for cleaning.  This does not cause their necks to collapse.

Besides neck coils, the Kayan also wear coils around their legs and arms.  These coils may be made of brass, cane or lacquer.

Here is a photo of a young woman weaving.  I bought a beautiful bolt of cloth from her!  Now I'm trying to learn how to sew so that I can make it into a tube shape and wear it as a sarong.  It is just too hot these days to be wearing pants!  Pity that blue jeans have come into fashion here in Thailand.  The older women still wear the traditional sarongs, and are without a doubt more comfortable than their younger, more fashionable counterparts who suffer in tight jeans!

Here are some of the beautiful girls and young women we met in the village:

It is somewhat of a challenge to find reliable sources of information about the Kayan people, but the following link will give you more information about the third Kayan village in the area which I didn't have the opportunity to visit.               www.huaypukeng.com

Click here to see photos from the Kayan village Huai Seau Tao

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