Long Neck Women, Chiang Mai

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I came here, wherever it was, as part of a long-necked tribe daytrip I did from Chiang Mai. We arrived after visiting an orchid farm and riding elephant at the Chok Chai Elephant Camp but things just seemed to be very touristy with lots of souvenir stalls selling tribal arts and crafts and jewellery items. The girls here come from several different tribes but the main one is the famous long-necked Karen tribe so we did the obligatory photo opportunities and I bought a hand-made wooden women figure. Behind the stalls are a few wooden/bamboo houses which were being lived in and indeed the girls were busy doing daily jobs whilst being dressed in traditional tribal clothes but it still seemed to me to be a show for tourists.

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After our half day activities at the Chiang Dao elephant camp and lunch, we were bought to this Karen Paduang Longneck & Big Ear village which was about 15 min ride further up Chiang Dao elephant camp.

We were told by our tour guide that we were allowed to take as many photos as we like but in return we should respect their culture as they were... Basically i think this village was built by some proprietors and they find some longneck and big ear hilltribe peoples to live in it. Then in return, they are require to sell the merchandise which bring profit to themselves and also the proprietors. Althought the some part of the village looked like a market place selling the merchandises, but i can still see the rest of the village where built for them to live in.

Our tour guide help us to chat with a young longneck girl who was part of the merchandise seller. She said she was bought to this village a few years ago from somewhere else. She claimed she has a few bro & sis and sadly she can't even remember their face, nor her parents anymore. It was quite a sad story to hear. Most of the longneck people are like refugees with no residenship... they might be born in Thailand, but the government doesn't recognise them, and they have nowhere else to go... The only place they can go is within the village set up by the proprietors... without the ID, they might be caught by the authorities and face the risk of being sent back to Myanmar which they don't really belong to...

The trip to the Long-neck village was high point of our trip. It's not for the elderly or handicapped though. It is a very narrow path winding its way into a valley where the long neck people live. Then, there is the even more difficult trek back out of the valley. Definitely a difficult trek for those out of shape. Well worth it if you're up to it. Great photo ops with long neck women and children. Of course, lots of souvenirs to be bought too.

Mae Hong Son, Thailand's northern border city, hiding itself in between the towering mountains with densely forested slopes, stretching to the Burmese border. Mae hong son is known for its charm of scenery and culture. The people of Mae Hong Son consists of the Shans who live in the city and the hilltribe people who live in remote villages on mountain tops where elements of lifestyle have changed little in hundreds of years. The city is covered with the mist all year long. Mae Hong son gains its nickname of "the City of Three Mists" from the fact that it has dewy mist in the winter, forest fire mist in the summer and rainy mist in the rainy season.

Then continue to "long-neck" or "giraffe tribe”. But the women who wear these brass rings on their neck belong to a sub-group of the Karen known as the Padaung. There are other sub-groups who do not and never have practiced this custom. A further myth is that these rings act to elongate the wearer's neck. Any chiropractor or orthopedic surgeon will tell you that this would lead to paralysis or death. In fact the appearance of a longer neck is a visual illusion. The weight of the rings pushes down the collar bone, as well as the upper ribs, to such an angle that the collar bone actually appears to be a part of the neck!

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They look exotic regardless of their Puma sweatshirts and Diesel flip flops.
Ask before you take pictures.
Bring gum or crayons for the kids - they will smile on your pictures.

Save your money and buy your souvenirs here. Help the locals a little.

Story goes.... a long time ago when they were still many tigers alive, they ate people.
Men were given guns and woman were given neck rings so the tiger doesn't have such an easy time biting their head off.
Fair.

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A lot of theories exist about the use of necklaces by Karen longneck women. Some say it was to protect of tigers attacks when they were still in Burma others say they continues using it just to continue to win a change (only middle of survival that they possess) in detriment of their health, because to prolongate the neck, the bones of the thorax go down harming their health.
They say that if tourists don't visit them anymore, they would be forced to remove the necklace and to stop with that mutilation. But what would happen to that tribe? Would they suffer without government help?
The answer still is not known, nor what is right or wrong.
It fits to you to decide if you should go there or not.

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I read some reviews talking about give to the children some gifts when visiting the tribe.
I though it would be many childrens so I bought some stickers and gave it to them.
They didnt know what to do with it, and sometime later whem I look back, I could saw this image.

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You can visit a hill tribes village where there are several different types of minorities living together. It is a rather touristy, and expensive place to go, but if you can’t make out to see the real thing than this is your only option. The most exciting thing here is the long necks. Entrance price is 500 bath. Be weary of most goods that are for sale in the shops inside the village. Some or non authentic, poor quality or made from inferior material.