Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
1 Geography
o 1.1 Present settlement of the Kayans
2 Culture
o 2.1 Brass coils
o 2.2 Traditional religion
o 2.3 Current religious practices
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Geography
Present settlement of the Kayans
According to Kayan tradition the Kayan settled in the Demawso area of Karenni State (Kayah
State) in 739 AD.[6] Today they are to be found in Karenni (Kayah) State around Demawso and
Loikow, in the southern region of Shan State and in Mandalays Pyinmana and Karens Than
Daung township.
There are three Kayan villages in Mae Hong Son province in Thailand. The largest is Huay Pu
Keng, on the Pai river, close to the Thai Burma border. Huai Seau Tao is a commercial village
opened in 1995. Many of the residents of Nai Soi Kayan Tayar moved into the Karenni refugee
camp in September 2008, but a few families remain there.
Most of the Kayan people in Mae Hong Son are formerly from nine villages in Karenni State.
The majority are from Rwan Khu and Daw Kee village. The people of Huay Pu Keng are mainly
from Lay Mile village.
Culture
Brass coils
Women of the Kayan tribes identify themselves by their forms of dress. Women of the Kayan
Lahwi tribe are well known for wearing neck rings, brass coils that are placed around the neck,
appearing to lengthen it. The women wearing these coils are known as "giraffe women" to
tourists.
Girls first start to wear rings when they are around five years old.[7] Over the years the coil is
replaced by a longer one and more turns are added. The weight of the brass pushes the collar
bone down and compresses the rib cage. The neck itself is not lengthened; the appearance of a
stretched neck is created by the deformation of the clavicle.[8] Many ideas regarding why the
coils are worn have been suggested, often formed by visiting anthropologists, who have
hypothesized that the rings protected women from becoming slaves by making them less
attractive to other tribes. It has also been theorised that the coils originate from the desire to look
more attractive by exaggerating sexual dimorphism, as women have more slender necks than
men. It has also been suggested that the coils give the women resemblance to a dragon, an
important figure in Kayan folklore.[9] The coils might be meant to protect from tiger bites,
perhaps literally, but probably symbolically.[10]
Kayan women, when asked, acknowledge these ideas, and often say that their purpose for
wearing the rings is cultural identity (one associated with beauty).
The coil, once on, is seldom removed, as the coiling and uncoiling is a lengthy procedure. It is
usually only removed to be replaced by a new or longer coil. The muscles covered by the coil
become weakened. Many women have removed the rings for medical examinations. Most
women prefer to wear the rings once their clavicle has been lowered, as the area of the neck and
collarbone often becomes bruised and discolored. Additionally, the collar feels like an integral
part of the body after ten or more years of continuous wear.
In 2006 some of the younger women in Mae Hong Son started to remove their rings, either to
give them the opportunity to continue their education or in protest against the exploitation of
their culture and the restrictions that came with it. In late-2008 most of the young women who
entered the refugee camp removed their rings. One woman who had worn the rings for over 40
years removed them. After removing the rings, women report discomfort which fades after about
three days. The discoloration is more persistent.
The government of Burma began discouraging neck rings as it struggled to appear more modern
to the developed world. Consequently, many women in Burma began breaking the tradition,
though a few older women and some of the younger girls in remote villages continued to wear
rings. In Thailand the practice has gained popularity in recent years because it draws tourists who
bring revenue to the tribe and to the local businessmen who run the villages and collect an entry
fee of 250 baht per person. The Karenni National People's Liberation Front (KNPLF), an armed
cease-fire group, have made attempts to invite the Kayan to return to Kayah State to set up their
own tourist villages.
In January 2008 the UNHCR expressed reservations about tourists visiting the Kayan villages in
Northern Thailand due to the provincial governments refusal to allow registered Kayan refugees
to take up offers of resettlement in developing countries.[11] It is believed this policy was linked to
their economic importance to the area. This policy was relaxed in late 2008 and a small group of
Kayan have left for New Zealand in August 2008.[12] Others entered the main Karenni refugee
camp (which is not open to tourists) in September 2008 and they are now eligible for
resettlement.
Traditional religion
Following the pwai dance the women sprinkle the men with water using eugenia leaves.
In present times the annual Kay Htein Bo festival is always accompanied by a reading of the
chicken bones to predict the year ahead. Fowl bone prognostication can be witnessed in the
Kayan villages in Thailands Mae Hong Son province during the annual festival and during
Cleansing Ceremonies which are held when a family has encountered ill fortune. Dreams are
also used to make predictions.
See also
The Kayan of Borneo share the name but are not related and do not have the same
customs.
References
1.
2.
Pascal Khoo Thwe, From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey (2002),
ISBN 0-00-711682-9 Google books
3.
Thai Burma Border Consortium / A brief history of the Thailand Burma border
situation
4.
5.
Eden Phan, Khon (2004), The Narratives, Beliefs and Customs of the Kayan
People, Mae Hong Son: Kayan Literacy and Culture Committee
6.
Eden Phan, Khon (2004), The Narratives, Beliefs and Customs of the Kayan
People, Mae Hong Son: Kayan Literacy and Culture Committee
7.
8.
9.
Mirante, Edith T. (September 2006), The Dragon Mothers Polish their Metal
Coils, Guernica Magazine, retrieved 2009-01-01
10.
11.
12.
huaypukeng.com
13.
14.
15.
16.
Virtua Design. "The Dragon Mothers Polish their Metal Coils by Edith Mirante Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics". Guernicamag.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
"Les peuples oublis". Blogg.org. 2007-08-26. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
Manna, Padre Paolo (1902), The Ghekhu-Karen Tribe of Eastern Burma, S.
Giuseppe Pontificial Printing
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kayan (Burma).
Huay Pu Keng: Long Neck Village Website about this Kayan village in Thailand contains
information on Kayan history, religion, and culture
Hostage to Tourism Article by Edith T. Mirante. Need to create account to view article.
French Language page with introduction, notes and bibliography of Kayah, Kayan,
Karenni et Yang Daeng by Jean-Marc Rastorfer
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