Have you ever witnessed a “human zoo”, a place where humans, more specifically women are exhibited in lieu of just £4? I know it sounds absurd but it ain’t. Women of the Kayan tribal community in Northern Thailand come under the paraphernalia of such an exhibition, why? well because of their “Long Necks” and hence they are also termed as “Giraffe Women”.
The age old tradition - of winding coil around the neck of a girl till the adulthood is still carried out by the people which happen to become a tourist attraction - has actually sealed the fate of women which compels them not to think about education, housing, full citizenship and, above all, peace.
Burmese migrants especially the Kayan ethnic group, who entered the neighboring province Thailand so as to escape from the 58-year-long civil war that tormented the lives of the natives, discovered no solace in the new region as well. No doubt the opportunities came to them but were nothing more than a mere mirage. For instance, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and foreign governments have put pressure on the Thai authorities to allow 20 Kayan to take up the opportunity of resettlement in New Zealand and Finland but the authorities did not pay any heed to the said verdict. Rather the Thailand Government is working very hard to keep these women a tourist attraction after all, at least one Thai village head collects tens of thousands of pounds a year from tourists visiting their village to see the spectacle of the “Long Necks”.
Nearly ten thousand tourists visit the village per year to see as many as 50 long-neck women and girls who pose for photographs and sell postcards, bracelets and souvenirs. Out of this the women and their families are supplied rice, chilli and cooking oil. The refugees have no other option than to accept what is being offered to them since they are living without hope or any positive prospects coming from anywhere that could provide them with a helping hand.
What is it behind winding coil around the neck?
There are two beliefs supporting the said notion, first, it was carried because of its personification with the feminine beauty, later the coils also became symbols of wealth and status and were worn as jewels. Secondly it also hints at the society which is saturated with chauvinism where men put the rings on their women to deter slave traders.
This reminds me of the age old custom of Foot Binding which was carried out in China, can’t say whether it still persists today or not but what ever the case the maybe one thing is sure, we have never witnessed any such weird tradition, like that of body modification being carried out by men … or is there any?
Comments
Really sounds absurd. It’s a news for me. I have heard about foot binding though and Japanese’s obsession with long necks.But this is outrageous. Hope people in Thailand would do something about it.
It is a matter of shame for the Thai authorities that women who came looking for refuge in their land are forced to live against their will. If the fact that any hope of a better life elsewhere was extinguished in the Kayan Women is depressing enough, the fact that they are paraded as a tourist attraction is disgusting. I hope Human Right Groups wake form their slumber and do something about this.
P.S. : There are instances of body modification done by men too. But it appears that the onus to mortify their bodies falls more on women folk rather than the other way around. Hardly surprising I guess.
More outrageous are the tourists who pay to see such a show.I hope they stop doing so.
Last month when i go to Thailand. I seen that people have modified this accsessories. Start from we know that someone have use this cant droping it until he died. But now. its done :)
I agree with you!
That’s unfortunately not the only country doing so.
In Africa too this custom still exists. It’s however progressively replaced by flexible plastic decoration giving the same aspect.
Révoltantes ces images
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great post, thank you
I don’t understand why a handful of people don’t let others live happily. Those who made these ladies put that round metal around their neck should be punished severally, they have no right to play with their lives. Moreover the exibition of womens having long neck..disgusting..shame on they country as well that don’t have any control over such issues.
The ”secret” of the ”giraffe” women is that the clavicle and the ribs descend 45 degrees down from their normal position. The maximum weight of a coil is of 5 kg. This ancient tradition has unknown roots. The coils may have made Kayan women unattractive to slave trade. Some say that the coils are against tiger bite. More likely, it reflects the neck of a dragon.
For the Kayan women, the coils confer them a tribal identity, associated with beauty. In fact, the coils ensure that Kayan women will marry only inside their own tribe. The rings, once on, are seldom removed, as it is a somewhat lengthy procedure. Many thought that unfaithful women got, as a punishment, their coils removed, which led to their suffocation because their neck broke, but this is nonsense. Many women removed the coils when they felt it as obsolete or for medical examinations.
But most women prefer to wear the rings once their neck are elongated, because the skin portion kept so many years under the brass is often bruised and discolored. And many, after ten years or more of continuous wear, feel the collar like an integral part of the body. Kayan women wear coils also around their knees, ankles and wrists, but this will never capture the attention of the foreigners
The woman’s egg will go to any length to attract fertilizer
I agree with u Wonda