ASSESSMENT 1
BLOG POST
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he Kayan Long Neck Hill Tribe is a village of the Burmese minority group of
the Red Karen people which is located in the northern Thailand hills, nearby the
Thai Myanmar border (Cohen, 2016). This authentic village has become one of
the famous Thailand hill tribe attractions for visiting the female in the
community who wear the traditional heavy brass coils on their necks, forearms,
and necks (Mclntyre, 2020). They are also known as “giraffe women” to tourists due to the
appearance of their lengthened necks (Mclntyre, 2020).
About the Long Neck Kayan and Hill Tribe Tourism
Although Kayan people are currently living in Thailand,
they are refugees from Myanmar because of the civil
war of the military government (Adeleke, 2021).
Therefore, Kayan people are not considered as Thailand
citizens with limited access to public services and right
(Foote, 2018).
Wearing the brass ring around their necks and joint is
part of the Kayan traditional dress culture. Usually,
girls in Kayan Village will start wearing the coils at
around 5 years old, and gradually increase the number of collars with age (Chawanaputorn et
T
Figure 1 Karen Village/ Karenni refugee
camps (Hui, 2014)
al., 2007). Offering protection from animal attacks, preserving unique culture, and aesthetic
use are the three main reasons for wearing the ring (Adeleke, 2021).
With the unique traditional culture of long-neck
Kayan that gave tourists a sense of authenticity, the
Thailand government take this as a commercial
opportunity to turn it become one of the iconic
Thailand real primitive hill tribe tourist sites (Edith,
1990). Long-neck Kayan village has attracted more
than 40,000 tourists each year (Lacher & Nepal,
2010).
View the Tourism from The Kayan’s Perspective
On the one hand, tourism development is considered the main source to generate income for
the Kayan and preserve the traditional culture. However, with the rise of the lack of ethical
tourism behaviour by tourists and the inaction of the Thai government, the long neck village
became a controversial tourist site (Stainton, 2021).
Health Concern
According to Chawanaputorn et al. (2007), as the coils are made of brass, they can weigh
almost 15 kilograms. The brass necks coils are aimed to give the impression of elongation,
however instead of lengthening the necks, it is pushing down their clavicle bones. This will
further lead to the deformation of the clavicles and thorax, and the vertebrae in the spine to
collapse (Chawanaputorn et al., 2007). Therefore, although wearing the neck coils is represent
the cultural identity of the Karen, it may cause serious health risks to them (Ismail, 2008).
Figure 3 Kayan women with brass coils
(Adeleke, 2021)
Figure 2 Souvenirs shop in the village
(Sizeland, 2020)
Loss of Authenticity
Thailand's government has marketed the Kayan long neck hill tribe as an underdeveloped
authentic hill tribe village with a group of exotic-looking women (Walter, 2015). Ironically,
the authenticity of the village is usually determined by outsiders, not the Kayans themselves
(Boonzaaier & Wels, 2017). To keep tourists visiting, the local government has to keep the
village primitive and to ensure the village's environment can get tourists' 'proof 'of its
authenticity (Boonzaaier & Wels, 2017). Therefore, Kayan women are forced to live in
'primitive "conditions, which limits their rights and opportunities to obtain power supply, roads,
etc (Sizeland, 2019).
In addition, with the increasing global interest in giraffe-like women, some Kayan women
choose to wear the neck ring under the pressure of income sources, even if they feel
uncomfortable (Adeleke, 2021). Ma Lo, one of the Kayan women claims that when they decide
to remove the rings or do something modern, her salary will be deducted from the reason for
ruining the traditional image (Adeleke, 2021).
Voyeurism
Karen women are treated as animals in the zoo, and tourists
are only interested in taking photo with them with unusual
appearance. Most of the time, they do so without permission
(Walter, 2015) Meanwhile, they are being stared at doing
ordinary but private things such as breastfeeding, and
unexpected tourists will come to visit their homes (Keyte,
2015). However, no one cares about the history, culture, and
difficulties. Instead, they only care to gain attention by sharing
their unique authentic travel experience.
Figure 4 The villager living
environment (Brinkworth, 2018)
Think About It:
Is it actually authentic to remain a poor and
traditional outdated way of life? Even if the
government can better construct the village or the
Karen people have the ability to buy modern devices
such as mobile phones?
Figure 5 Tourist and the Kayan
women (Keyte, 2015)
Exploitation
To ensure the Kayan women continue to rely on local tourism
and stay in the hill tribe, the local government has utilised the
vulnerability of Kayan women and seriously exploited their
interests (Cohen, 2019). First of all, the government used the
Kayans’ refugee status to restrict their travel and employment
opportunities (Haworth, 2008). Second, the government has
exploited the right of a villager to progress and be educated (The
Age, 2008). According to The Age (2008), the Kayan women
have been financially punished if they are talking to foreigners
or attending educational courses outside the village. Especially
for the young girls who have become the “puppets” to display
the traditional Kayan culture with no choice.
Gender Role Reversal and Effect of diverting labour
Without tourism, Kayan men usually focus on the agricultural industry and women focus on
domestic work. As the tourism industry offers a better income than agriculture, women start to
become the main provider for the family, which included showing their appearance and selling
their handicrafts. Meanwhile, as Kayan people heavily rely on tourism and neglect other
income sources such as the agricultural industry, their economy becomes more vulnerable.
Especially when the COVID-19 epidemic strikes, they lost all of their income source (Floramo,
2020).
How can we visit ethically?
• Conversation first. Camera second.
The most authentic travel experience is to get to
know their lifestyle, culture, life story, and tradition
by conversation. If you want to take pictures, please
ask for permission, and respect them with heart.
• Contribute direct transaction to Kayan
villager
You may purchase local wood carving and weaving
souvenirs that directly financially support the Kayan
people.
Figure 6 Children are dress up
for the tourists (Strongman, 2017)
• Join some interactive tour
You may join some interactive tours that help you
create an authentic experience while having a
comprehensive understanding of traditional Kayan
people’s lifestyles. For example, join villagers in
the local cuisine cooking class, participate in
handicraft workshops, farming experiences, etc.
Figure 7 Farming Experience
(Tripadvisor, n.d)
References List
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Boonzaaier, C., & Wels, H. (2017). Authenticity lost? the significance of cultural villages in
the conservation of heritage in South Africa. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 13(2), 181–
193. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873x.2017.1284851
Brinkworth, T. (2018, September 1). Why the long-neck village of Thailand is controversial.
The Green Nomad. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://thegreennomad.org/why-the-
long-neck-villages-of-thailand-are-controversial/
Chawanaputorn, D., Patanaporn, V., Malikaew, P., Khongkhunthian, P., & Reichart, P. A.
(2007). Facial and dental characteristics of Padaung women (long-neck Karen) wearing
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajodo.2006.01.029
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Hui, E. (2014, July 10). Karenni refugees want to go home but 'don't trust the Government'.
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