Thailand is the most exotic country I have ever visited. In fact we liked it
so much that we have gone a couple of times. Excursions to Chiang Rai, Chiang
Mai and across the border into Myanmar show a world much different than our
western norms.
Northern Thailand is populated by numerous ethnic groups with their own
customs and beliefs. The people that have settled the villages in the hill
country have come from Myanmar, China, Tibet, Laos, Vietnam and several other lands in the
region. You can probably see more distinct cultures in a week here than any
other place on earth.
Click image to enlarge
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Hat anyone? |
Akha woman |
Akha mother with baby |
The subtle pastel landscape of Northern
Thailand hill country |
Mekong River Taxi |
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Colorful market goods |
Mao man in Chiang Rai province |
Playing on the farm equipment |
Harvest time in the mountains |
Children at tip of Golden Triangle next to
the Mekong River where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar come together |
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One of the friendly residents of a village in
Chiang Mai Province |
Mother of the man to the left smoking a pipe
at the side of the road |
The King's temple |
Mao woman with child in backpack |
Tuk tuks in Chiang Rai |
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Most of the women spend a large part of the
day weaving colorful cloths |
Teenage girl proud of her rings |
Teenage girl weaving. She is a good friend of
the girl to the left. |
The largest stack of rings in the village. |
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These last four pictures are from a Long Neck Karen village in Chiang
Rai Province. The Karens are one of many ethnic groups in Myanmar and have been
involved in a long civil war in that country. This village was settled just
across the border in Thailand by a group of refugees from the war. The Long Neck
Karens are a small portion of the Karen ethnic group and are the only ones who
practice the use of neck rings.
The neck rings are added one per year on girls starting before they are ten
years old. There are also rings on their calves. The practice started over two
hundred years ago as a form of protection. People realized that tigers mostly
caught women in any incident involving a human. Tigers also most frequently bit
onto the calf or neck to snare their victim. The brass rings were developed to
protect the women from the tigers.
The Long Neck Karens are not very accurately named. The reality is that the
shoulders are crushed over the years and pressed down. The neck is not actually
elongated. They are uncomfortable, however, and you can see the cloth that is
kept inside the rings to provide some relief on the skin. These villagers
consider a large stack of rings very beautiful and all the women use them.
All photos İRoy Breslawski
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