The Kayan are a subgroup of the Red Karen (

Karenni people The Karenni (, ), also known as the Kayah () or Kayah Li (Karenni language, Karenni: ), are a Karen people native to the Kayah State of Myanmar (Burma). According to a 1983 census, the Karenni consist of the following groups: Kayah, Geko Kare ...

), a

Tibeto-Burman The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people speak ...

ethnic minority of

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

(Burma). The Kayan consists of the following groups: Kayan Lahwi (also called Padaung, ), Kayan Ka Khaung (Gekho), Kayan Kadao, Kayan Lahta ( Zayein people), Kayan Ka Ngan, Kayan Kakhi, and sometimes, Bwe people (Kayaw). They are distinct from and not to be confused with the Kayan people of Borneo. Padaung (Yan Pa Doung) is a Shan term for the Kayan Lahwi (the group in which women wear brass

neck ring Neck rings, or neck-rings, are any form of stiff jewellery worn as an ornament around the neck of an individual, as opposed to a loose necklace. Many cultures and periods have made neck rings, with both males and females wearing them at variou ...

s). Kayan residents in Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand refer to themselves as Kayan and object to being called Padaung, as corroborated by Khin Maung Nyunt in ''The Hardy Padaungs'' (1967). On the other hand, Pascal Khoo Thwe calls his people Padaung in his 2002 memoir, ''From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey''. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, due to conflict with the military regime in Myanmar, many Kayan tribespeople fled to Thai border areas. Among the refugee camps set up, there was a "long neck" section, which became a tourist site. According to U Aung Roe (1999:21ss), the Kayan number about 90,000 in

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

(around the Pekhon Township area), about 20,000 around

Kayin State Kayin State (, ; ; , ), formerly known as Karen State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. The capital city is Hpa-An, also spelled Pa-An. The terrain of the state is mountainous; with the Dawna Range running along the ...

, and 70,000 in

Kayah State Kayah State (, ), or Karenni State, is a state of Myanmar. Situated in eastern Myanmar, it is bounded on the north by Shan State, on the east by Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, and on the south and west by Kayin State. It lies approximately b ...

(around Demawso and

Loikaw Loikaw (, ) is the largest city and the capital of Kayah State, also known as Karenni State, in Myanmar. It is located in the Karen Hills area, near the State's northern tip, just above an embayment on the Pilu River. The inhabitants are mostly K ...

). A 2004 estimate put the total population at approximately 180,000. About 600 Kayan reside in three villages open to tourists in Mae Hong Son, including the Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp.

Settlement

According to their oral history, the Kayan settled around Demawso in

in 739 AD. Today, they still reside there, in

, and Thandaung, as well as in the southern region of

and in Pyinmana Township. There are three Kayan villages in Mae Hong Son province of Thailand. The largest is Huay Pu Keng, close to the Thai–Myanmar border; Huai Seau Tao is a commercial village opened in 1995; and Nai Soi, many of whose residents moved into a

refugee camp A refugee camp is a temporary Human settlement, settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for in ...

in September 2008.

Culture

Brass coils

Women of the Kayan tribes identify themselves by their forms of dress. In the Kayan Lahwi tribe, females are known for wearing

s, brass coils that are placed around the neck, causing it to lengthen. Girls first start to wear rings when they are around five years old. Over the years, the coil is replaced by a longer one, and more turns are added. The weight of the brass pushes the

collar bone The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavicle is the ...

down and compresses the

rib cage The rib cage or thoracic cage is an endoskeletal enclosure in the thorax of most vertebrates that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum, which protect the vital organs of the thoracic cavity, such as the heart, lungs and great ve ...

. The rings can stretch necks to a length of about 15 inches (38 cm), pushing down the collarbone, compressing the rib cage, and pulling up about four thoracic vertebrae into the neck. Many theories regarding this practice have been suggested.

Anthropologists An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

have hypothesized that the rings protected women from becoming slaves, making them less attractive to other tribes. It has also been theorised that the coils originate from the desire to look more attractive by exaggerating

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

, as women have more slender necks than men. Another idea is that the coils give women the appearance of a dragon, an important figure in Kayan folklore. The coils might be meant to protect from

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

bites, perhaps literally, but probably symbolically. The coil, once on, is seldom removed, as the coiling and uncoiling is a lengthy procedure. It is usually only removed to be replaced by a new or longer coil. The muscles covered by the coil become weakened, and most Kayan women prefer to keep the rings once their clavicle has been lowered, as the area of the neck and collarbone often becomes bruised and discolored. In 2006, some of the younger women in Mae Hong Son began removing their rings, either to give them the opportunity to continue their education or in protest against the exploitation of their culture and the restrictions that came with it. The government of Myanmar began discouraging neck rings as it struggled to appear more modern to the developed world. Consequently, many women in Myanmar began breaking the tradition, though a few older women and some younger girls in remote villages continued to wear rings. In Thailand, the practice has gained popularity in recent years, because it draws tourists who bring revenue to the tribe and to local businesspeople who run the villages and collect entry fees. In January 2008, the

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

expressed reservations about tourists visiting Kayan villages in northern Thailand due to the provincial government's refusal to allow registered Kayan refugees to take up offers of resettlement in developed countries. It is believed this policy was linked to their economic importance to the area. The policy was relaxed in late 2008, and a small group of Kayan left for New Zealand in August 2008.

Religion

Traditional Kay_htoe_bo_poles.jpg, Kay Htoe Boe poles Kay_htoe_bo_dance.jpg, ''Pwai'' dance Kay_htoe_bo_procession.jpg, Following the ''pwai'' dance, the women sprinkle the men with water using ''Eugenia'' leaves. Chicken_bone_reading1.jpg, Chicken bone prognostication The Kayans' traditional religion is called ''Kan Khwan'' and has been practiced since the people migrated from Mongolia during the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. It includes the belief that the Kayan people are the result of a union between a female dragon and a male human/angel

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

. The major Kayan religious festival is the three-day Kay Htoe Boe, which commemorates the belief that the

creator god A creator deity or creator god is a deity responsible for the creation of the Earth, world, and universe in human religion and mythology. In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator. A number of monolatristic traditions separate a ...

gave form to the world by planting a small post in the ground. During this festival, held in late March or early April, a Kay Htoe Boe pole is erected, and participants dance around it. The Kayan have a strong belief in

augury Augury was a Greco- Roman religious practice of observing the behavior of birds, to receive omens. When the individual, known as the augur, read these signs, it was referred to as "taking the auspices". "Auspices" () means "looking at birds". ...

, and nothing is done without reference to some form of divination, including breaking thatch grass, but most importantly consulting chicken bones. Cleansing ceremony rituals Cleansing1.jpg, Cleansing2.jpg, Cleansing3.jpg, Cleansing4.jpg, Contemporary As hilltribes, the Kayan can be categorised into different ethnicities and races, with various languages and religious beliefs. Traditional Kayaws believe in tree spirits, but younger generations are showing acceptance towards Buddhism and Christianity. GroupMusicians.jpg, GroupGirls.jpg, GroupChurch.jpg, GroupGirls3.jpg,

References

External links