Visit to Long neck tribe at Huai Suea Thao village on the Thai Burmese border.

The mystery of traveling to an unknown destination is like learning a new language. One
reads numerous dictionaries, books and even "Learning Languages for Dummies". After
mastering a few short sentences, you locate a native speaker to practice speaking and
start parroting your rehearsed lines. As your sparring partner stares blankly at your
monologue, you do not know how your accents have turned out to be and if what you
said was what was understood or whether you made a complete fool of yourself by
mispronouncing niceties as insults!

One is writing this from one’s thatched roof-hut on stilts inside Huai Suea Thao village
on the outskirts of Mae Hong Song district on the Thai-Burmese border. This village is
nestled on the edge of a steep cliff overlooking several mountain streams that rush
down to meet the Pai river flowing through Mae Hong Son. One is surrounded on all
sides by mist covered evergreen coniferous pine forests at an altitude of 5000 feet
above sea level. The natural beauty of the surroundings is breathtaking. Every bit of the
landscape is covered with teaks, pines, conifers, oaks and birches stretching their arms
as far as eyes can see.

The buzzing sound of the flowing mountain streams and waterfalls are soft music to
one’s ears throughout the night. One wakes up at dawn awakened by the natural alarm
calls of wild roosters living on the edges of the jungle. Even in the twilight hours in early
November, one can see the mist hanging heavily on the mountain tops. One also comes
across a few scattered clouds that have descended on your hut made entirely of palm
leaves, coir and bamboos. There is no electricity in this tribal village populated by the
Kayan tribe who have lived in these forests since centuries.

The most unique aspect about the tribe living in this village are the elongated necks of
the females! After a girl child is born, she is made to wear a brass neck-ring. Every year
two more rings are added to her neck till she is five. As she grows into an adult her neck
gets naturally elongated as the rings are never removed. The long neck decorated with
golden coloured brass rings make the Kayan women look incredibly attractive and they
strut about like graceful peacocks. They also wear their hair in a topknot with appointed
silver pin in it and a necklace of a chain of silver coins.

Kayan girls start wearing rings at the age of four or five. More spirals are added as the
girls grow older. The neck is continually stretched with more oils added each year till the
length of sixteen inches is reached, though many older women have greatly exceeded
that. At the base of the main neck coil, married women wear a five coil winding, A
complete set of neck coils worn by a grown –up women, including the neck, knees and
ankles weighs about 10 kilos! The diameter of the brass coils are winded by local kayan
women with their strong fingers. The decision whether to wear the rings or not is left
entirely to the girl after she attains maturity. However, this tradition has survived in this
era of globalization only due to the fact that kayan women have the greatest reverence
for their mother goddess. The kayan long-necked women do not travel outside their
villages and have spent their entire life in their small communities.

The longneck Kayan village of Huai Suea Thao is nestled in the middle of a hill
overlooking a multitude of uninhabited hills. Several small mountain streams criss-cross
through these hills, providing a constant water supply for their needs. The Kayan shun
contact with the outside world and are happy in their isolated existence. Language is a
barrier as their native dialect is different from Thai or even Burmese. They hand
cultivate rice, in their tiny fields in their back gardens. Vegetables like carrots, cabbage
and cauliflowers are also grown. One of the unique aspects of Kayan culture is their food
habit. Due to their elongated and delicate necks, they have to be very particular about
what they eat. Lots of wild tea is drunk, without sugar or milk to keep the effects of the
cold away. Crushed ginger is added to the tea. The kayans are extremely hard working
and do not rear cows or bullocks. Ploughing the rice-fields is done by digging by hand.
The mountainous terrain, the fast flowing mountain streams and ancient kayan myths
have combined to ensure the absence of cattle. This means milk and milk products are
cut off from their diet which is rich in cereals and vegetables.

Music and dance are a way of life for kayans. As there is no electricity, all the kayans
gather under a tree at dusk followed by lots of singing and dancing, Their food habits
are frugal and dinner is no more than rice soup washed down with a few glasses of
home made rice beer.

The Kayan tribe call themselves “Ka Kaung” which loosely translates to “people who live
on top of the hill”. They are sometimes called long neck karens or giraffe women
because of the custom of encasing their neck in brass coils. When a girl is aged between
five and nine, her neck is rubbed with tradional herbs dipped in coconut milk and the
first brass ring is fitted. After two years, the next set of rings is added and every year
thereafter she gains a new set till she is married. Below the chin, they wear a square
cotton pad decorated with beads. These brass rings are said to be centuries old and
handed down over generations, passing from mother to daughter to grand-daughters.
Kayan women also have two set of leg rings, one above the knee and one below, but
this does not seem to hamper their daily work in any way.

Kayan women are said to have descended from the ‘Goddess Mother Dragon’ (“Ka Kwe
Bu Pe) and women wear these rings to give respect and tribute to the deity and to
resemble a real dragon. As Kayan myth goes when the grand-daughters Mu Don and Mu
Dan visited Ka Kwe Bu Pe, they were presented with winding gold coils which they
wrapped around their hands, legs and neck! Kayan people celebrate the “Kan Khwan”
ceremony, when all Kayans gather in celebration with lots of folk dances and traditional
music and singing. These community gatherings often get kayans from all far-flung
villages to come together in a mood of festivity and happiness.

The other villages on the Thai-Burmese border where one can find long necked kayans,
include Hwa Phu Keng, Kayan Tha Yar Hsu Htaut and Noi Soi. All these villages are
located inside thick coniferous forests and are accessible either by boat or after trekking
on foot for long hours.

How to get there?

The nearest international airport to reach Chiangmai is the Suvarnabhoomi International

Airport at Bangkok. There are several options for Indian tourists to get to Huay Psai Tao
from Bangkok.

1. Bangkok to Chiangmai (air/bus/train) (overnight stay)

2. Chiangmai to Mae Hong Son (bus/mini-bus/shared-taxi) (overnight stay)
3. Mae Hong Son to Huay Psai Tao (tuk-tuk/ motorcycle taxi)

By bus: The easiest and most popular way to get to Chiang Mai from Bangkok is by bus.
This 600 km. trip takes 12 hours. There are three bus terminals at Bangkok, namely
Northern, Southern and Eastern. All buses are first class air-conditioned with pushback
seats. The bus fare from Bangkok to Chiang Mai costs 350 Baht for ordinary buses to 550
Baht for super-deluxe buses. Buses to Chiangmai leave Bangkok’s Northern bus
terminal. Mae Hong Son is a six hour drive from Chiangmai. Buses leave at 11:00 a.m.
from Chiangmai bus Station to Mae Hong Son. The one-way mini-bus journey from
Chiangmai to Mae Hong Son costs 250 baht. Huay Psai Tao is a 20 km. drive over rough
roads from Mae Hong Son. Motorcycle taxis should not charge more than 200 baht
during off season. Taxis can cost upwards of 400 Baht for the same. Time taken to reach
Huay Psai Tao from Mae Hong Son should not exceed 60 minutes by bike or car.

Night buses operate from Bangkok to Chiangmai. Buses leave Bangkok at 9:00 p.m. and
arrive at Chiangmai at 6:00 a.m. The one-way ticket is priced at 550 Baht. Local
overnight buses from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son are best avoided.

By air: Several airlines operate direct flights from Bangkok to Chiangmai. But the
cheapest option for budget conscious Indian tourists is to take the 12:50 p.m. Air Asia
flight from Bangkok to Chiangmai. If booked two weeks in advance, the flight fare
should not exceed 1800 Baht one way. The flight duration is approximately 60 minutes.
Air Asia is a budget airline whose fares are extremely affordable even if booked at last
minute. However, Indian tourists who are sure about their itinery in Thailand can book
Air Asia tickets using an international credit card at India and get early bird promotional
fares starting at 1500 Baht!
Where to stay?

At Chiangmai:

Red Brick Guest house Chiang Mai is a budget guest-house whose architecture reflects
the name! It is a favourite of Israeli backpackers. During low season (July to October) a
standard double room costs approximately 350 Baht exclusive of American breakfast.
The rooms are basic, bathrooms are clean with hot water showers. A tiny restaurant
offers only rice soup and black tea for strict vegans. However fresh fruits, nuts and
soymilk can be obtained from the neighbourhood convenience store which is a short
walk away. All major landmarks are walking distance from this homely guest house. The
to and fro airport transfer costs 120 Baht each and transfer to bus-station by tuk tuk is
bargainable and should not put you back by more than 80 Baht.

At Mae Hong Son:

River View Lodge at Mae Hong Son offers clean rooms with small bathrooms and cold
showers for 150 baht and is located 5 minutes away from the lake and is on the banks of
the Mae Hong Son river. This family run guest house has just 6 rooms, so a phone call
from Chiang Mai bus station before one boards the mini-bus will ensure a room is
waiting for you on arrival.

At Huai Suea Thao:

A few local villagers offer homestays with basic accommodation and food at 100 Baht
per day. One gets to experience their hospitality and local cuisine. Vegans will relish the
freshly steamed rice with wild bamboo shoots and green beans cooked over a
traditional kayan earthern stove. Bamboo mats and traditionally woven quilts are
provided in a thatched hut made of bamboo and straw. Basic bathrooms and toilets are
in the backyard of the house.

Where to eat?

At Chiangmai:

A few small eating joints serving Thai vegetarian cuisine can be found around the
market. Farm fresh custard apples are available at 40 Baht per kilo at Chiangmai market.
Tropical fruits like papaya, pineapples and pomelos are available at most fruit-shops.

At Mae Hong Son:

Freshly steamed vegetables in ginger sauce with steamed rice is the choice for vegans at
the Coffee Shop located near the lake. Many stalls selling roasted bananas, sweet
potatoes and corn can be found in the evenings around the lake.

At Huai Suea Thao:

Rice soup with wild bamboo-shoots and homegrown green beans is a local kayan
delicacy which is as tasty as its description. Vegans are offered small bananas from the
kitchen garden. Roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes are available on request. Kayans
do not rear cattle and locally grown tea is served black and drunk several cups at a time
to keep the mist, fog and cold at bay.

The creation myth of the kayan says that the world was created by the eternal creator
God Phu Kabukathin assisted by two creator deities Phikahao and Kabukabhan and their
three goddesses namely La Maan, La Taon and La Nan. The goddess La Maan created
heaven and fire, La Taon created trees and plants and earth and La Nan created man,
animals and water. The primordial elements fire, water and earth were linked by a
spider’s web. Thus the earth is braced to the sun, moon and stars by an invisible spider’s
web. At creation the earth lacked density and the land and the water were fluid, so God
Phu Kabukathin planted a small post in the ground. As the post grew, the earth also
grew into seven inner and outer layers and it became firm. The post was named “Kan
Htein Bo” in kayan which translates to “The means of formation of earth”.

 Murli Menon, author of “ZeNLP-the power to relax” is a stress management consultant

based at Ahmedabad and can be contacted at [email protected]

 Send payments/copies to:

Murli Menon
E/503, Borsali Apt;
Khanpur,
Ahmedabad-380001
India
Phone:00-91-79-25600269

Author with a longneck kayan tribal at Huay Suea Thao village on the Thai-Burmese
border

Children start wearing the rings after they turn five

Author with an old kayan lady and her granddaughter

The bamboo and straw dwellings of the kayans at Huay Suea Thao village

A kayan lady selling hand woven cloth at the village

The older ladies wear upto 10 kilograms of rings around their necks, ankles and knees

Sacred grove of the kayans