The Long-necked Karens Of Thailand

The Karens came over from Burma, crossing the River Salween, at least three hundred years ago, living in protective social units, in the border areas of Thailand. They are the biggest conservationists of nature, says Farzana Contractor

No doubt the most distinctive feature of this hill tribe is the brass ringed, tightly fitted necklaces the women wear, day and night and forever - from age six until they die. But there is so much more to the Karens than just their strange idea of beauty. For example they are the best forest conservationists of all the minorities.

The oldest tribal group in Thailand (excepting the Lua), the Karens came over from Burma, crossing the River Salween, at least three hundred years ago and established themselves in the border areas. A remote group of people they live in protective social units, not as a homogeneous whole, rather a loose confederation of heterogeneous and closely related tribes. And each of these tribes has its own unique culture, with different customs, including its own variation on beauty, one of which is the tradition of beautifying the women with this multiple neck-rings.

The Karens speak a Tibetan- Burmese dialect which linguist find difficult to categorise. The ones who live in Thailand are the Karen Padaung tribes and are generally known as �long necks�. They reside in the lower valleys and cultivate rice fields, and are very skilled weavers, making some of the finest baskets.

I visited some of the members of this tribe just outside Chiang Mai and was quite taken up by the rustic setting. It was a clean village, perhaps a model one, but one could get an understanding into the way they lived. The leaf roofed and bamboo huts were unusual and the village extends upwards and into the hills.

As I walked along I found different people engaged in various activities, starting from toothy old women, chewing on nuts, weaving baskets, to others who were threshing wheat through an ancient method using water as the energy generating agent. A long pole attached to what can be termed as a mallet, would lift and fall with the help of water filling and emptying in a trough like box, beating upon the wheat, pounding it gently. No supervision was required, no electricity. And sure no pollution was contributed to the atmosphere.

Further into the hills I came across the more beautiful of the Karen women. The young mother who sat minding her children as well as the artifact nook has a sharp resemblance to Audrey Hepburn in The Roman Holiday, minus the brass necklace of course. I sat trying to chat with her, understanding as much as I could in sign and body language, their way of life. Whether or not she figured I was a journalist trying to write a story, I don�t know, but she smiled and laughed a great deal at my gesticulations. For my part I understood that these multiple brass rings are a sign of beauty, wealth and social status. The girls start to wear these when they are little children and as the neck grows longer, with each passing year an additional one is added. Unmarried girls do not wear earrings, however on the back of their hands a few words are written to ward off evil and make sure they are blessed to have a happy life.

I was in great mood, these kind of experiences invigorate me, so leaving my travel companions back I decided to go further into the village and up the hill. As I trudged along, meeting little children, greeting old people, I suddenly heard screaming voices and fun filled laughter. I followed the voices and what do you think I am rewarded with! Lo behold a group of Karens, pretty young girls, giggling away, are playing volley ball! Volley ball, so far away from civilization, with those heavy brass rings round their necks, arms laden with heavy bangles, in headgear and those strange metal earrings dropping from their ear lobes, jumping around like normal teenagers. It was wonderful. To their amazement I joined them and showed them some Bombay volley ball tricks. How to jump and smash the ball downwards and right into the ground, a sure point! Afterwards they sportingly posed for me, giggling for the most time.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR