'Long-neck' Kayan women of Myanmar

Tuesday 22 April 2014 16:43

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

In pictures: 'Long-neck' Kayan women of Myanmar

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1/18In pictures: 'Long-neck' Kayan women of Myanmar

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

Kayan women usually start wearing six to ten rings when they are five to ten-years-old and then they put on one more ring a year for years after then

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

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

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

One of the theories says that the coils originate from the desire to look more attractive by exaggerating sexual dimorphism, as women have more slender necks than men

Another theory suggests that the coils give the women resemblance to a dragon, an important figure in Kayan folklore. The coils might be symbolically meant to protect from tiger bites and other dangers

Kayan women, when asked, often say that their purpose for wearing the rings is cultural identity, one associated with beauty

A Kayan woman works at the farm in Panpet village

For most women the collar feels like an integral part of the body after ten or more years of continuous wear

A Kayan woman sits in a smokehouse in Panpet village, Demoso township in Kayah state

In 2006 some of the younger women 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

A Kayan woman wearing traditional clothes and bronze rings around her neck in Panpet village, Demoso township in Kayah state

Some ethnic Kayan women, also known as Padaung, begin wearing the bronze rings on their neck and legs from a young age

A Kayan woman weaves in Panpet village, Demoso township in Kayah state

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