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The Giraffe Women

Tradition of Neck Stretching Is Centuries Old, But Is It a Cruel Custom?

Sept. 3, 2004 -- Far from the glitz of Bangkok, in Thailand's remote northeastern region, tourists are lured by a spellbinding image -- women and girls who've undergone a bizarre body enhancement.

They have been called Giraffe Women, because as young girls they have heavy collars of brass wound around their necks. The effect is surreal. Their heads appear as tiny dots above a golden stalk. And once they're adults, the collar never comes off: -- not when they bathe, not when they sleep, and for many, not even when they die.

They call themselves the Kayan, and they lived in Karenni state in Burma, also called Myanmar. Then a 20-year civil war and the Burmese military dictatorship forced some 100,000 refugees to flee across the border to Thailand.

But while most have landed in primitive camps, the long-necked women -- 200 or so -- live in more comfortable villages. That's because they attract paying tourists -- up to 200,000 a year -- and support themselves from their share of the entrance fees -- a monthly salary just for wearing the rings. They also earn money from the sale of dolls, weavings, postcards and from posing for photos with tourists.

Nante, 47, earns her income through the rings on her neck.

"She is supporting our whole family, and also my youngest brothers study in high school because of her," said her daughter Mubi.

Ma Da, 23, is the village star. She has been wearing the rings since she was 5. She says it gets hot wearing the rings, but she doesn't mind.

It may be just a matter of getting used to them. Teen girls in the village seemed comfortable with their collars, even played volleyball.

One of the women, Ma Na, said she has some back and shoulder pain, but nothing serious. She boasted that she made a five-day trek when she fled Burma, and was not at all slowed down by the 10 pounds of metal wrapped around her neck, not to mention the brass ornaments she wears on her legs.

A doctor from the hospital in nearby Mae Hong Son said that despite the way it looks, the rings don't elongate their necks. Rather, they force the collarbone down, just making the neck seem very long.

It's not clear how the custom originated. According to one legend, the rings made the women look like the dragon from which the tribe descended. Another says the rings protected women from the teeth of a tiger. Still another version says the rings were meant to show off a family's wealth and once were made of gold.

But in this culture with no written history, no one knows. And few question a tradition dating back hundreds of years. Mubi is a rare rebel.

At 7, her fling with the rings ended abruptly. "I told them, 'If you [do] not remove these, I will just cry all the time,' " she said.

Today, at 26, Mubi has no regrets about her decision. She has adopted the speedy pace of a student activist, living in town and promoting self-determination for her people. She doesn't want to be on display.

"I don't like the tourists to come," she said.

Not all little girls will wear the rings. It's up to the family. But most want to look just like their mothers. 20/20 watched as 7-year-old Mu Ho got a second set of rings to keep pace with her growing body.

Ma Na, the village expert, unwound Mu Ho's brass coil for the first time in four years. Surprisingly, the little girl's neck was fine, although a bit discolored from the metal, and she could move her neck without pain.

But astoundingly, the girl wanted the new rings to go on right away because without them, she felt ugly.

Ma Na skillfully shaped the coil around Mu Ho's neck so it won't interfere with her ability to move or swallow. After nearly half an hour, it was done. Mu Ho eagerly counted her rings.

A few more had been added this time, making it a cherished rite of passage.

It's also insurance. With her ringed neck, she'll continue to attract tourists and earn her salary. But that's the conundrum: The rings that enable survival today are inevitably tethering the Kayan women to the past.

Tom Eady and Nick Sargeant, who teach at a village middle school, say a girl's future is limited if she puts on rings.

"I believe it's restrictive and sad," Eady said.

"A good example is Miori," Sargeant said. "She's by far the brightest, the most interested, student. I think she's actually going to go to high school in camp, but after that, what can she do?"

Like women everywhere, the Kayan want to look their best. And maybe we shouldn't look at other cultures through our North American eyes, said tourist Phil Blustein.

"What do you think the long-necked women would say if they came to the United States and saw that women have breast implants, liposuction, cosmetic surgery? And foot surgery so they can fit their feet into spiky shoes," he said. "I can't figure out which one's more culturally bizarre."

[original article]

Posted by thinkum at September 3, 2004 04:15 PM