The giraffe women



Padaung Ladies

The ethnic minor groups of Kareni people that are located in Burma are commonly known as the Kayan group of people. These people referred themselves more oftenly as Kayan also they felt really offended by the constant utilization of the designation “Padaung” or the common reference as “Long-neck Karen hill tribe”. Yan Pa Doung or Padaung is a shan expression which is mostly utilized to refer the Kayan Lahwi group. The Kayan Lahwi is the group of women who covers their bare neck with the brass coil. The number of the Kayan people living in the Shan State was somewhere around 40,000 which the population, nowadays, that resided in Kayah state was near by 20,000. Women of that belong to a variety of Kayan tribes recognize themselves by their diverse appearance of costume. The Kayan Lahwi ethnic groups are the most well-known as they dress in knick-knacks identified as neck rings, brass coils that are located just about the neck.

Padaung Aunty

 The giraffe women as they are often called wear heavy copper coils around their necks, which push their faces up and make their necks look long and elegant. 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 origin of the ring-wearing ritual in the Padaung hill tribes remains unclear. Palong hill tribe mythology says that the mother of all Palong’s was half woman, half dragon, with a long, beautiful neck, and that their unique custom is a tribute to their mother-dragon. The tradition is said to stretch back 1000 years. There are many stories concerning the tradition of ring wearing and the Kayan themselves disagree over the origins, however these are some of the explanations they give:

-          The wealth of a family was worn by the women.

-          To deter the men of other tribes and races from kidnapping the Kayan women.

-          The rings are a status symbol for women as, according to Kayan legend, they are the descendant of a union between the “Mother  Dragon” and a ‘zawghi’ – a male creature half human and half angel.

-          They are worn for beauty, as the various tribes vied for attention in a kind of 'beauty contest'.

The first coil (weighing about one kg) is usually worn when the girl is five or six years old. Some girls are coiled at the age of two. The second coil is added when the girl is about eight years old and the third is put when she reaches the age of 12. Year after year, new rings are added, until by the time of mirage, their necks are 25 centimeters long. Once fastened, the rings are for life, to remove the full coil of brass would cause the collapse or even fracture of the woman’s neck. Girls who have stronger necks wear more than four coils (weighing about 5 kg) by the time they are 15. But most girls start showing signs of damage to the neck in their teens. The neck muscles weaken and are unable to support the weight of the head. This makes the girls even more dependent on the coils. In the past, removal of the brass rings was a punishment for adultery. The punishment was, that since the neck muscles had severely weakened, by years of not supporting the neck, the woman must spend the rest of her life, holding her head with both hands or lying down.

Mother and her daughter

Kayan women, when asked, acknowldge these ideas, but 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 necks have become elongated, 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.

It is a myth, that the brass rings have elongated the neck of the wearer. Any orthopedic surgeon will tell you that: lengthening the neck would lead to paralysis or even death. The women are able to carry out a somewhat ordinary life: they can marry and have children, and they are able to weave, sew and do light work. The Long-necked Paduang have become the most popular tourist attraction of all the hill tribes of Myanmar.