Karen Village
Chiangrai

I debated on posting this photo as visiting the Karen Tribe villages on the border of Myanmar is a bit debated in the world of ethical tourism. We actually chose a tour that didn’t visit the village because I was afraid it would feel a bit like a human zoo. However, a few people in our tour group really wanted to visit, so our guide added it onto the itinerary last minute. It was the last stop of a long full day tour and we had the option to stay on the bus or pay an additional fee and enter the village. @chamby19 stayed on the bus, but if you know me you know I hate to miss out on new experiences so I decided last minute to go in. While I still didn’t feel entirely comfortable upon entering the village, I found just talking with the women and children of the Karen Tribe eased my nerves. It was amazing how quickly it turned from feeling like I was gawking to actually being able to connect with the locals. This experience is definitely what you make it, so if you plan on visiting the Karen tribe villages while in Thailand, talk with the women and ask about their handmade goods, because once you get past gawker mode it can be a really eye opening, pleasant experience!

While it may appear that the Karen women have extraordinarily long necks, their traditional brass rings actually push their shoulders and rib cages down creating the appearance of an extra long neck. The rings were originally created and used within the karen tribe to protect the women from tiger attacks during the night, but are now worn primarily for tradition. Due to the health problems caused by the extremely heavy neck rings many of the younger members are breaking with this tradition. It is estimated that the neck lengthening practice only has a few generations of life left in the Karen tribe.