The Thai-Burmese border Karen women "neck" culture "(Photos)

A girl

Long-necked tribe, which is composed of a clan of Badong in northern Thailand and the border of Burma an ethnic Karen.

Thailand Mae Hong Son Town, a town of less than thirty thousand people, the long-necked women five years old on a copper ring, at the age of ten with a long copper strip around the neck, around a copper ring under the knee, let your feet remain at the age of five roughness, imitation double leg Phoenix fine. They will be with the age growth around a few laps, until the age of twenty-five. A woman's neck copper rings up to twenty-five rings, weighing 5 - 10 kg range, the neck is not for long, but the shoulder bone to weight pressing down, only then lets the human look like Phoenix neck as long. Copper ring neck, but absolutely forbidden even her husband can not see.

Now wearing copper collar is regarded as the symbol of beauty and wealth. It is also for this reason, Karen people continue to the little girl at the age of 5 years old when he began to they wear copper collar. After the girl took several hours of massage, there are people proficient in the road around the copper ring on her neck, copper wire diameter up to 1.5 cm. The ceremony is completed, the girl's family to please the whole village a lively celebration. A few months later, the girl always wore those copper ring neck, wait for change. And neck adapted to these copper ring, put copper collar them for more compact, but also to add a few. Karen women can wear 25 copper collar, the weight of 5 kg to 10 kg. These copper collar can help support to elongate the neck of the clavicle, until the girl to puberty, the body fully formed so far.

Thailand long-necked family

Karen women think that this custom can accept. "In the beginning was sore and heavy, but in the end always adapt." Karen people Mo Bo said, "the most bitter in the heat of the day, hot hot copper ring." This time they only into the water soak, to cool the copper ring. If you do not do so, even if the weather is cool, copper coil hot in the sun will still take a heat waves spread to whole body.

Karen was originally a minority in Burma mountainous area, has been living in the dense forests in the deep mountains, to provide for oneself and family farming, women have been kept in the neck sleeve copper ring tradition. In order to avoid war and seek more stable and beautiful paradise, 10 years ago, a group of long-necked tribe for Shuersanshi the tramp over mountains and through ravines, take a few days and nights to Thailand to settle, the Mei Hongshun Valley as a second home. In the compression of the copper ring, "giraffe women" neck looks increasingly become long, protruding jaw. In fact, "a woman" and the length of the neck of the ordinary people and no two, but their collarbone and shoulder for copper ring compression and subsidence. Once wear a copper ring, the female is equal to the yoke of a lifetime on, because their neck muscles will become very fragile, dangerous to leave a copper ring neck is broken.

What are the reasons to make a woman so much sin? They believe that the ancestors of human beings, man is the dragon, the woman is Phoenix, dragon and phoenix is the most noble and supreme, say what the world should seek to do long to do chicken. So for thousands of years, have a daughter in the family, in her 5 years old start skeletal development in their neck, a copper ring, at the beginning of three five, then every period increased, until ten a copper ring, the neck vertebrae have deformity of variable length so far. Long neck and slightly forward, just like birds, and in their arms and legs also added a copper ring round, go up like a phoenix flying attitude. Just as the Chinese foot binding of women, are in pursuit of a legendary happiness. But the feet are almost masterpiece, the nation was to look into the Phoenix, still adhere to this kind of heavy traditional.

However, there is another side of the story, according to legend, the residents angered the gods, they sent the tiger to eat a woman. So they decided to all the girls are wearing copper neck ring in self-defence. However, there are legends, these Karon people formerly living in eastern Burma, live by farming, stand aloof from worldly success. But outsiders on the region's natural resources to annex led to war. The men went out to war, women put the precious metal products of gold, silver or copper casting ring, worn around the neck or foot, this custom has been handed down.

According to Guinness world records, through this "collar lengthening" method, the world's longest neck is forty centimeters long. Like all parts of the world like women, these "giraffe women" also think that their "long neck" is the most beautiful in the world.

A Phil Bleustein called the western tourists about his views: "maybe we think their customs strange, however, these long neck if the woman came to the United States, see the United States women breast implants, abdominal liposuction, cut one's feet the Procrustean bed, other all sorts of plastic operation, they may see all this will be more shocking. In fact, I don't know what we are, or the long-necked women culture more weird."

Now, some of the local girls, neck collar is also the they attract tourists, "living" security.

Shen Haibin Wen and photography