Canon EOS 5D
ƒ/3.5
50 mm
1/250
100
The Karen hill tribes in Northern Thailand are refugees from the Myanmar war zone.
Their neck coils are solid brass tubing, and were much heavier than my backpack of camera equipment.
3 responses to “Long Neck Karen”
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Those neck coils are certainly hot. I wonder if this is just for women or if the men wear them too. In China, a long time ago, the women used to have permanently bound feet that would keep them tiny. This would also prevent them from running away from their men. In fact, as I have learned in readings, long dresses and high heels of any type have kept women from running away and remaining generally subservient and dependent for centuries. I wonder if the coils are another way of keeping the women close to home.
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Your answer was later added under another photo, that the coils were originally to prevent injury from tiger attacks. It makes sense for a time when guns were non existent. It is time to review the reason and logic for using these necklaces today. Unfortunately, it would take considerable work to change the mentality. A law would help but not guarantee total change right away. I wonder what the government thinks or does about this.
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Culture is different everywhere. In America for example, many people believe it’s necessary to surgically modify the penis (circumcision), often while the child is too young to raise any objections. I’m sure there are plenty of other societies that would have plenty to say of that practice. This neck ring custom is something the culture attributes to beauty, and as such, the women choose to take part in it. In America this is analogous to women getting their ears pierced or in more extreme cases, breast implants, plastic surgery, etc. Both have risks, and both may be considered taboo by cultures around them. Nevertheless, each aspect of culture is adopted in order to adapt to the conditions in which they live.
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