(Image from Asia Sentinel.)
One of the key themes of social science research and activist commentary in mainland southeast Asia is the relationship between tradition and modernity. For many commentators traditional culture provides local people with a symbolic and institutional framework to resist the disruptive intrusions of rationalising bureaucracy and rampant commercialisation.
But it is important to remember that “traditions” are not necessarily empowering or benign. It all depends on the context. This was nicely highlighted in two recent articles on the so-called long-neck Karen (Padaung) of the Thai-Burma borderlands. Earlier this month (May 2 – unfortunately I cannot locate an internet version) the Canberra Times ran a feature article on intergenerational tensions among Padaung women in Thailand:
Muko feels sweat trickling down her neck even as she sits under the shade of a wooden hut on a sweltering afternoon. “This is so uncomfortable. I cannot wipe off the sweat because of this,” the 15-year-old girl says, sulkily, pointing at the 15 brass rings, weighing 3kg, that adorn her neck. “I want to remove my rings because they are heavy and give me neck pain.”
For older women…girls like Muko…are a disgrace to the Karen tradition. “More and more girls are removing their rings,” the petite woman who proudly shows off her 25 brass rings says. “They don’t appreciate our culture which has been passed down through generations. I’m worried our Karen tradition will disappear.”
Another article on the Padaung also appeared recently on Asia Sentinel. This article very effectively documents the limited options faced by women who are marginalised by multiple economic and political forces. Here is an extract:
Two years ago an 18-year old Karen girl named Zember, living in a refugee village within sight of the Thai-Burma border, staged her own little personal revolution. She removed the rings she had been adding around her neck each year since she was seven or eight years old, the age the girls take the first ones that ultimately turn them into human giraffes.
The Padaung Karen, or long-neck Karen, so-called because of the multiple rings that elongate their necks by deforming their collarbones and pushing their shoulders down, have been described for decades as one of the closest things in Asia to a human zoo. But their condition points up just how much of a zoo it is. They have found dubious refuge in artificial tourist villages where visitors, both Thai and foreign, pay a heavy entrance fee to gawk at them.
Of course the case of some young women seeking to unshackle themselves from one specific cultural practice does not discredit the claim that that tradition can have many positive and empowering components. But it is a good case study that demonstrates that “culture” and “tradition” are things that local people argue about – they impact on people differently, and the costs and benefits are unevenly distributed. What one person sees as the destruction of a unique culture, another person may see as a liberating proliferation of opportunity.
When symbols of traditional culture are used in campaigns to help empower marginalised groups it is important to keep in mind that these symbols are likely to have a very complex local politics.
14 responses so far ↓
1 Pig Latin // May 16, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Journalists should also take into consideration spiritual associations of such practices. Condescending views spawned from the modernity paradigm are surely doing more to sink it’s ideal than help keep it afloat.
What would a Karen journalist say of the chicken parmigiana and ale cult (soon to be religion) ?
2 Pig Latin // May 16, 2007 at 4:56 pm
… chicken parmigiana and ale culture* rather! No cults here, no.
3 aiontay // May 16, 2007 at 10:38 pm
In the second article, is it tradition that is causing the zoo and marginalization, or the multiple political and economic forces outside tradition?
4 aiontay // May 17, 2007 at 9:34 am
I forgot to write that good Padaung perspective (albeit a male one) on Padaung tradition can be found in Pascal Khoo Thwe’s book “From the Land of the Green Ghosts.”
5 Johpa // May 17, 2007 at 11:19 am
The neck rings must really torment those who aspire towards elevating cultural relativity to some sort of mystical and divine academic status. My less than honorable brother-inlaw was involved in a commercial “long neck” village up in northern Thailand many years ago. By the time I went to visit, the inhabitants spoke some Thai and some S’gaw Karen. So between me and the misses we were able to have a conversation with some of the women, and one very memorable younger school aged teen spoke, with tears in her eyes, about her dream to get rid of the rings and go to school instead of being kept confined as a tourist curiosity.
On the continuum between good cultural artifacts and evil cultural artifacts, in my humble and less than politcally correct miind, and for those brave few willing to make such judgments, the neck rings lie only a few degress away from clitorectomies and the stoning of women to death for adultery.
6 Thai Chat // May 17, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Neither tradition nor culture should oppress people freedom…
7 Pig Latin // May 17, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Thai Chat, what do you mean by freedom?
8 aiontay // May 18, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Johpa,
I wouldn’t want to wear a neck ring in Thailand or the Karenni States because they must be incredibly uncomfortable, but as Dr. Walker cautions, tradition is a complex thing. I’d also note in your example it wasn’t just the rings and tradition keeping the young lady shackled.
Saturday I’m going down to visit my friends and relatives to participate in an event that was supress for over fifty years, because it was keep us shackled in evil tradition that in the eyes of many would send us to Hell just as fast as stoning women for adultery.
Later on this summer I’ll go visit the grounds of some of my friends where their tradition dictates that they fast and dance in weather where the temperature will be over 100 degrees F, where they will be required to drink an herbal brew that will cause them to vomit, and then be scratched with a device made of four needles driven through a piece of wood on their arms, legs and in some cases across their chests until they bleed. (One friend of mine is old school and prefers to be scratched with gar- a type of fish- teeth.) My grandfather’s people used to have similar customs, but they gave it up because it shackled and marginalized them and kept them from participating a proliferation of opportunity. Funny thing is, some of my grandfather’s people these days aren’t so happy about giving those things up; they may have plenty of opportunities, but have they lost their souls?
9 John // Jul 30, 2007 at 3:04 pm
I have visited the longneck camps, first as a curious tourist but subsequently as a captivated friend. The Karenni are a gentle, generous and egalitarian people. I know a couple of the women who’ve removed their rings; it’s my impression that it wasn’t a rejecton of their culture, but rather a protest against their exploitation by the Thai authorities. Zember, mentioned above, was offered resettlement in New Zealand along with several family members. The local Thai authorities refused to grant them exit visas, with the bogus rationale that it would destroy longneck culture for them to leave.
As for being shunned by village elders for removing the rings, I have not observed that. Some elders may be disappointed for one reason or other, but everyone with whom I’ve spoken understands the young women’s situation, and supports their protest.
10 Leif Jonsson // Apr 1, 2008 at 7:47 am
It’s nice to be considered an expert but sometimes one’s unique knowledge (and neck) is stretched too far. Here is a query I received over email in 2002 (name witheld, of course), that might tickle some NM readers and the Karen:
Hello Dr. Jonsson:
I am researching an article for National Geographic Traveler magazine and I was wondering if you could help me (your name was in the COS Expertise database).
I need the correct spelling for a particular native tribe of Thailand, the Long-neck tribe. Do you know if it is spelled Long-neck or Long-Neck or Long Neck? I’ve seen all three versions.
11 hrk // Apr 2, 2008 at 5:34 am
I’am a bit surprised about the use of “tradition”. What is shown is not much of “tradition” but rather an show for tourists. To point at the economic, political and cultural power relations, it makes more sense to use the old concept of Hobsbawn and Ranger on “invented traditions” or of simulacrum (Barth and Derrida). The rings etc. are such simulations of exotic authenticity media love to pick up and disseminate, turning it into a second level simulation oriented at an imagined demand of a far away audience.
12 Surang Saitip // Apr 2, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Every society is equal if we pitch tradition against modernity, whatever these mean.
13 LondonEye // Apr 3, 2008 at 4:36 pm
I visited these people some years ago in Mae Hong Son. I was told…
The name they prefer to use for themselves is ‘Kayan.’ ['Karen' is apparently not correct].
The National Geographic did a story on them years ago, including taking x-rays, and found that the weight of the rings – worn for many years – depressed collar bones, rather than elongated necks.
And that there are various ‘origin’ stories. One is they do this to mimic their ancestors, whom they believe are dragons (this is not uncommon: some Mien women wear turbans with bits of cloth sticking out of the sides to mimic the ears of their founding Dog). Another origin story is that they were originally concubines for the Burmese court, and that the rings were a method of control (ie ‘disobey and we remove your rings!’) Personally I find this last story hard to believe.
I wonder if anyone else has more information about these people. – Especially about the full reasons for a new camp just north of Chiang Rai?
14 NKPVET // Jun 17, 2008 at 12:49 am
Folks:
Have you read the Thai National Geographic. It’s in, of course, Thai language. I am presently having it translated and will post it when done.
I live in Maehongson and know the Vice Chairman of the
Karenni State, Mr. Abel Tuay (Tweed–as the English pronounce it). I also know Mr. Raymon Two, the Chairman.
They and the Karenni I speak to, and I have many Karenni friends, do not consider themselves to be in a “human zoo”, and that is the subject of this post — the lie of the “human zoo”.
The guide books and certain NGOs love to perpetuate this myth in order to sell books and get donations.
The Karenni have a vibrant culture that they wish to keep and the NGO neocolonialists and missionaries wish to change.
The Thai National Geographic presents both sides of the Karenni question. Some women and girls like the rings, others do not. The women are not forced to wear the rings.
Yes, they get 1500 Baht max a month offered to wear the rings because it brings in tourism, so I’m sure there is some family pressure put on the new generation. Plus when the tourism season ends, they do not get paid.
To put this in perspective a restaurant waitress (illegal refugee) gets between 1500 and 3000 Baht a month for working 10 hours a day and 7 days a week.
The BBC program and newspaper article only airs the interviews of those Karenni that wish to live in foreign countries and thus abandon their heritage and the possibility of returning to their Karenni State, which by the way is being fought for by those who had the guts to stay behind.
Newspapers love bleeding-heart stories because they are quickly written and sell.
Even though the Karenni are labeled by Thai law as displaced persons rather than refugees, they can and do live in the refugee camps. They also have the choice, as do Pa-O to live or visit the Karenni villages set up for tourism and sell their wares.
In addition, contrary to what people read and hear, the Karenni do go outside of their “tourism villages” and visit the markets, and other places in Maehongson. I see them all the time.
Some even come to my house with Abel Tuay for coffee and a chat. Maybe they need passes or slip a few baht into some official’s hand. I don’t know. That is not the subject of this post.
The village deal was established long ago as a business concern between Thai business people and the Karenni. The Karenni accepted the deal because they can make money rather than step on land mines in Burma or live in a refugee camp.
Maybe they get cheated or maybe not. That, unfortunately, is the way of business nowadays, especially if one is an illegal. Look at the wage of an illegal Mexican laborer in California as opposed to the lawful minimum wage requirement.
The business deal between the Karenni and Thais is not the subject of this post.
The argument as to whether the Karenni, being displaced persons rather than refugees, and thus not allowed to relocate to countries that accept them is also not my subject here. All that is very convoluted and is up to the host country, Thailand, to solve.
The subject of this post is, once again, the lie of the “human zoo”.
It should be noted that the Karenni are the second richest hill tribe in Thailand. The first is the Hmong tribe because they are excellent business people, plus, unfortunately, they are now once again cultivating and selling opium.
Miss Kitty Mckinsey, the spokesperson of the UNHCR, suggested that the tourists should boycott the Karenni villages because they are human zoos.
Ok. Miss Mckinsey is a spokesperson who travels all over the world speaking for UNHCR. The only information she received is what the UNHCR at Maehongson gave her, so she probably should not have to shoulder blame for a completely idiotic and misinformed statement.
The Karenni were quite upset by that statement because it would affect their lively-hood.
In addition, the last UNHCR head in Maehongson, Hanna (forgot her last name) used to speak of how it is so great to get the refugees resettled to another country. They will become doctors and attorneys and return to Burma to rebuild it, she said.
If you have been following the Iraq and Afganistan situation, you will note that those “expatriates” who returned after 20 years, did so only to exploit their own people and country. Once they’ve see Paree…. Chalabi is a good example.
It should be noted that Ms. Hanna refused to meet with Abel Tuay. He showed me a few statistics about Karenni suicides in the camps caused by the selection process for relocations.
UNHCR, as explained by an official to me, only allows complete families to immigrate. I think that is a good policy. However, it seems the suicides occurred because a family member did not want to relocate or some other unforeseen circumstances.
OK. These were not high numbers and nothing is fool- proof. But Hanna refused to speak to Abel Tuay, who by the way, has spoken before the USA Congress, and the head United Nations special rapporteur to Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro. A real professional would have given Abel what we used to call a “courtesy interview”.
One last comment: There is a wonderful group of people providing education to the Karenni. These people pay their own expenses and receive no compensation whatsoever for their efforts.
They were paranoid about being “illegal” since they were not registered. I know the Pbalat, the guy who is the commander of the camps and a district officer, so I got them together with him and they became registered in Thailand as an NGO.
They still do wonderful things, but they are now also activists. This is not their mission statement. So now I’m on the outs with the Pbalat (no good deed goes unpunished).
Also, they have a coordinator here who now can get a one year visa because of the NGO status. This person breaks all the rules and walks about the Karenni villages like a “Royal Patron” of the Karenni. This individual is sarcastic, arrogant, and has no tact — a true old style colonialist.
The person is trying to change the Karenni culture and possibly will have a negative effect on the good that the organization is doing educational-wise for the Karenni.
In other words, if this person keeps stepping on toes persona non grata may visit them. Then, of course, the good deeds of the organization may be destroyed by a dissolution of the said organization.
As to education, there is the Queen of Thailand’s project that helps educate the Karenni and offer them citizenship cards after they complete a certain grade level.
The NGOs, opportunists, two month volunteers, and bleeding-hearts either don’t know about this or don’t want to know about it. They strut about like they are the saviors of the Karenni and speak derisively of the Thai government, which they accuse in their ignorance and pseudo- intellectualism of abusing the Karenni and other refugees.
In closing, the Karenni do not consider themselves to be in a human zoo. They like to be called Karenni not Padong, Padaong, Kayan, Giraffe Women, or long-necks. They are good people and should not have disinformation spread about them. They are the second richest hill tribe in Thailand, but “rich” is a relative term. They deserve all the economic and educational help they receive. I have an emotional tie with them and therefore do not like to hear “spin” and lies pertaining to their plight and life style.
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