Thailand Part 3: Padaung Tribe of Chang Dao (long neck women)

Perhaps the most famous refugees in Thailand are the long neck woman of the Padaung tribe. Their tribe is a sect of the much larger Karen Tribe. They are native to Myanmar (AKA Burma), but several villages have fled persecution there to find a better life in Thailand. While they are not Thai citizens yet, the few that we talked to appeared and said they had a better life in Thailand as a refugee, than back in Myanmar.
To visit them was one of the highlights of the trip. In fact, it was the first stop on the itinerary when we arrived in Chang Mai. We hired a driver and guide to take us to the nearest Padaung refugee camp, about an hour and a half to the north in Chiang Dao.
Here is a girl of 19 years. She along with her 2 younger sisters (15 and 9 years old) came to this village a year ago without any Thai language skill. However, they have readily adapted and are now quite conversational … once you get them going.

In all there were only about 10 families in this small village. They rely entirely on tourists to sustain them.
While their handicrafts are quite nice, it is the admission charged to enter the village that pays for the food.
Here are a few more images of these fascinating women and girls.


While most were Padaung, there were a couple women who were from another tribe. You can see that it’s the large earrings that are distinctive.


We were also invited in to see what the bamboo huts looked like. It was rather spartan, but seemed to meet their need.


Here’s a close up on the coils:

The view from the village was quite beautiful.


Now that you have seen the pictures, and since there are many myths associated with these women, let me dispel a few from what we learned in our research and discovered when visiting and talking to them:
1. The brass coils are traditionally only worn by girls and
women born on Wednesday. However, now that that the tourist
potential has been realized, more woman are allowed to wear
them.
2. The coils don’t “elongate” the neck, per se. It’s a slow
process that gradually displaces the collar bone and rib
cage, thereby making their necks appear longer.
3. Additional coils are added each year. You can get an
approximation of their age by the number of coils worn.
4. When the coils are removed, there is no health danger (e.g.
it won’t kill them). The only concern is that the neck
muscles are atrophied, and are understandably weaker than
the rest of the body. However, there is no proven medical
concern for the removal of the coils.
5. The coils are VERY heavy. Some sets are up to 40 pounds or
more, although they average around 10.
Hopefully, that helps you understand these fascinating people at little better.
–Jim