A Visit to the Village of the Padong (Longneck) and KarenTribes

I'm writing this post the day after this village visit and I still have a feeling of unrest about what I saw and learned there.

Our bus took us to a dirt parking lot up into the jungle, where we were met by a large pick up truck. The 24 of us herded into the back of this truck and we went along a dusty and bumpy dirt road until we came to a clearing where there were huts scattered about.

The  roofs of the rudimentary wooden huts are made of leaves from teak trees.

The two tribes that we saw are both small groups of people from the Padong and Karen Tribes. Both of these groups of people are refugee groups from Burma (Myanmar). There was conflict in Burma with the government so these people came to Thailand as refugees. 

 The first tribe we came upon was the Karen Tribe. We saw their huts and their stands where they had their homemade items for sale; mostly weavings.  These people seemed very peaceful and calm and happy.

Then we came to the tribe of the long necks. The women of the tribe are home with the children during the day as the men work in the fields.

Once the girls turn three years old, they start wearing the brass rings around their necks. They also wear them around their legs, just below their knees. More rings are added every year. These rings are extremely heavy and are worn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. As more and more get Added, their necks stretch out more and more. The longer the neck, the more beautiful they are considered to be.

These people did not appear happy like the members of the Karen Tribe. 

I spoke with a 10 year old girl who was sitting at the edge of her mother's craft stand writing the letters of our alphabet and simple phrases in our language. I asked her why she wasn't in school. She replied, "Closed." This was a surprise to me until she showed me the school and the sign on the door. I felt sad when I saw the interior of the school. Notice the benches.

I met a woman who spoke a lot of English. She  was very bright, very insightful. She had been a refugee for about 8 years. This is where they have to spend all of their time.  She explained to me that, as refugees,  they have no passports, so are bound to their land.

There is no electrical power in these homes. I believe they rely on people visiting like us if they want to keep up with the outside world. I feel they are living the past.

The money they make from their stands is theirs to keep.

This is it. This is their life. Day in and day out. The woman who conversed with us is bright, young, and insightful. She really has no way out, but believes this is better for her young son to be here in this village than to still be in Burma.

As Americans we talk about how fortunate we are if we have a roof over our heads and food on our plates. The Long Neck Tribe have that, too. There is so much more that we are fortunate to have. My family, friends, colleagues and I are truly blessed to have our freedom and way of life.