1. Name and language

The Padong are one of the most recent ethnic minorities to arrive in Thailand. They call themselves Kayan or Lae Kur, and the Thais call them Karieng Kaw Yow (long-necked Karen). It is their women who attract the attention of outsiders.

(for reasons that will be obvious shortly), which is why the Padong tend to be thought of simply as the ‘long-necked’ or ‘giraffe’ women. Their language belongs to the Karenni group of the Tibeto-Burman linguistic family.

2. Origins and migration

The Padong, of whom there are about 30,000 in the world today, are one of the many sub-groups of the Karen. They live in the state of Kayah in Burma (Myanmar), close to the Thai border. The first Padong arrived in Thailand in 1987, forced out by the armed conflict being conducted by Burmese government troops against the people of the Shan states.

3. Location

Myanmar: State of Kayah

Thailand: There are several villages in Mae Hong Son province and one village at Thaton, in the north of Chiang Mai province.

4. Economy and agriculture

The Padong mostly grow rice, using both wet and dry methods.cultivation. They also grow sweet corn and millet, for both of which they use slash-and-burn techniques. They raise black pigs, poultry, and water buffalo.

5. Religion

Most Padong are animists; a mere ten percent are Buddhist. In the last few decades, there have also been an increasing number of conversions to Christianity among them, thanks to the work of Catholic missionaries who have been active in the area since the start of the 20th century. The annual fertility festival occurs at the start of the rainy season. Pigs and poultry are sacrificed in honor of the spirits.

in the hope of securing good health and a plentiful harvest.

6. Traditional dress

The most obvious difference between the Padong and other hill tribes is the extraordinary costume worn by their women. Whereas the men wear dark-colored cotton shirts and trousers, like the Shan or other Karen, the women are famous for the astonishing ornaments, consisting of a column of brass rings, 20 to 25 of them, which they wear around their necks.

When a little girl reaches the age of 5, the first necklace of five rings is placed around her neck at a formal ceremony. A new ring is added every year until she reaches adulthood. Several explanations for this unique tradition can be given.

forward. The first mentions an old Padong legend that relates that, long ago, the spirits were angry with mankind and decided to send tigers to eat all the women. Fearing that the women would indeed be killed, the ancestors ordered them to wear necklaces as protection against the wild beasts. According to another explanation, the answer lies in a second legend, drawn from Kayan mythology, which praises the beauty of the dragon god, the primordial ancestor who gave birth to the human race. The Padong women are said to have decided to wear longer and longer neck ornaments to imitate the graceful neck of the dragon god. The final explanation is that the men of the tribe wanted to make the women ugly so they would be less attractive in the eyes of the men of other tribes and thus avoid being abducted in the endless tribal wars that were a feature of the past.

Contrary to what is often said, these neck ornaments do not actually stretch the neck; they merely look as if they do. because of an optical illusion. They can be removed without a young woman suffering any ill effects, as the muscular atrophy involved is only slight.

The women’s actual clothing consists of a white, sleeveless, v-necked shirt and a short black or dark blue skirt. They often wear heavy silver bracelets on their arms and legs.

7. Houses

Padong houses have wooden frames, bamboo walls, and thatched reed roofs. As with other Karen dwellings, the house has a single large room that serves as both a dining room and a bedroom. Mats are put out on the floor for the night.