Padaung (Kayan)

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Description: "Women and children lengthen their necks with 22-pound brass rings to 'look like dragons' as part of an ancient tribe in Asia. It is a tradition in the Kayah state in Myanmar, formerly Burma, and makes the Kayan people distinct across ethnic groups in south east Asia. Some women felt they were unattractive without the rings and others felt the pressure to wear them for visiting tourists. The rings were used to protect people from being attacked by tigers and others claim they were a tribute to the group's 'dragon mother'. Rings have also been traditionally seen as symbols of wealth and reserved for favourite daughters, as a more common theory. Padung author Pascal Khoo Thwe told Channel New Asia that 'our mother was a dragon' and 'they have the same sort of neck'. He claims to have grown up with his grandmother wearing 14-inch high sets of rings. Mu Lone, 88, told the Mirror how women felt they 'weren't beautiful without neck-rings' in her time..."
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Source/publisher: "Daily Mail" (UK)
2019-10-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The Kayan are a sub-group of Red Karen (Karenni people), Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority of Myanmar (Burma). The Kayan consists of the following groups: Kayan Lahwi (also called Padaung, ပဒေါငျ [bədàʊɴ]), Kayan Ka Khaung (Gekho), Kayan Lahta, Kayan Ka Ngan. Kayan Gebar, Kayan Kakhi and, sometimes, Bwe people (Kayaw). Padaung (Yan Pa Doung) is a Shan term for the Kayan Lahwi (the group in which women wear the brass neck coils). The Kayan residents in Mae Hong Son Province in Northern Thailand refer to themselves as Kayan and object to being called Padaung. In The Hardy Padaungs (1967) Khin Maung Nyunt, one of the first authors to use the term "Kayan", says that the Padaung prefer to be called Kayan.[1] On the other hand, Pascal Khoo Thwe calls his people Padaung in his 2002 memoir, From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey..."
Source/publisher: Wikipedia
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Category: Padaung (Kayan)
Language: English
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Description: "Kataerina, a Kayan (also known as Padaung) woman from Pyin Soung village in southern Shan State, is now 35 years old and has three daughters. Her life seems smooth for now, but it was tough and full of struggles for food, education and freedom. Kataerina?s story echoes so many voices from the people of Burma, who have had to endure child labour and an ongoing struggle for food and basic living standards. From armed conflict to being locked up and nearly killed by Burmese soldiers, Kataerina?s struggles finally led her to the Thailand-Burma border where she now lives in the Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province. From Katarina?s story, you can learn more about the difficulties faced by the Kayan people in eastern Burma, where Kataerina hopes she will not be forced to return to."
Source/publisher: Burma Link
2015-08-29
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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