“Giraffe” Women – Secret of Neck Rings

Living in the mountains bordering Burma and Thailand are the Kayan people, also known as Padaung. With a population of around 40,000 souls, this tribe boasts of an aberrant culture. What makes the tribe unique is the characteristic neck rings worn by the women of the tribe. Essentially these rings feature single brass coil encircling the neck. Initially, the coil is placed when the girl is five years old; as she grows, it is replaced by a longer coil. Gradually the length of the coil and weight associated with it presses the clavicle and the rib cage, which results in appearance of a long neck. However, in actuality the neck doesn’t extend.

It is quite interesting to look into the reason behind the change. The cause of “giraffe” women is that the ribs and the clavicle descend 45 degrees down from their normal point. Optimal weight of the coil is nearly 5kg. However, the roots of the tradition are still to be discovered. Different myths surround the fact. Some sources predict it as a protection from tiger-bite. There are others, who believe that the coils made Kayan women unattractive for slave traders. However, for women in the tribe it is their tribal identity and an assurance that they would marry within their tribe.

Update Sep 16th, 2008:

A Few important facts we learned by courtesy of Peter Ole Kvint:

1. Kayan is a religion for woman, and Kayan is not a people.
2. Both Padaung and Karen have some follower of Kayan. They are daughters of a she dragon. The relationship is visible in the neck! Because they have the same mother, they are all sisters and sisters support each other, and repress the men.
3. The lengthening of the neck take about two years (for instance at age of 10½-12½), and had two element: 1. Intensive massage as the musculature been swollen and soft. 2. Long time stretch out. It is the musculature which been changed, stretch out, and not the bone in the neck. The lengthening of necks is a great work which strength the solidarity between the daughters.