Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Independence Army
(KIA) has been involved in a long-running conflict with the govern-
ment, with hostilities recommencing in 2011 following the collapse of a previous ceasefire.
Kayah
LivingintheremotehillsofKayahStatearethe
Kayah
people,alsoknownastheRedKaren
or the Karenni (and sometimes classified as a subgroup of the Karen) - the name “Red Kar-
en” derives from their fondness for red clothing. Now numbering fewer than half a million
(with more over the border in Thailand), the Kayah can be divided into numerous subgroups
including the famous
Padaung
. As with other minorities, the Kayah have suffered repeated
military persecution and human rights abuses, which led to clashes between the Burmese
armyandthe
KarenniPeople'sLiberationFront
untiltheagreementofaceasefireof1995.
THE PADAUNG “GIRAFFE LADIES”
Thelong-neckedladiesofthe
Padaung
tribearewithoutdoubtthemoststartlingofallMy-
anmar's ethnic minorities (although “Padaung” is actually a Shan name and they're more
accurately called the Kayan Lahwi). From the age of around five, Padaung girls are fit-
ted with heavy brass
neck rings
, with more being added as their necks elongate, causing
theircollarbones tosink.Nooneknowsexactly whythepractice began.Onetheoryclaims
that it started as a means of making local girls less appealing to raiders from neighbour-
ing tribes; another legend suggests that the neck rings were designed to protect against bit-
ing tigers - although quite possibly it simply originated as a fashion statement and marker
of cultural identity. The rings are only rarely removed and it's popularly believed that the
ladies would not be able to support the weight of their own heads without them, although
in fact a number of women have jettisoned their rings safely in recent years and reported
nothing but passing discomfort.
These days, the practice is a moneymaker. A number of long-necked ladies have left their
homes in remote Kayah State to set themselves up around touristy Inle Lake; their houses
are free to visit, but they're basically all souvenir shops. Though undeniably photogenic,
many visitors feel uncomfortable given that the ladies themselves are treated almost like
zoo animals.
Chin
Forming the majority of the half-million inhabitants of remote Chin State in Myanmar's far
west, the
Chin
people share many ethnic links with the Zo (aka Mizo) people in the adjacent
Indian state of Mizoram. Always remote from the Burmese mainstream, the majority of
Ch-
in
converted to Christianity during the colonial period - and have suffered significantly for
their beliefs since independence. They are perhaps best known to outsiders for their curious
practice of
tattooing
the faces of their women.
