Myanmar 8 : Kayah People

Padaung “long-neck” lady 

Sat 24 Feb
We were collected by our guide Phillips and driver, and taken to the large market at Deemoso. First stop was the millet wine stalls – which was actually not bad – then around the huge range of stalls. We also bought gifts to take to the two villages we were to visit today; biscuits & cooking oil.                                                                            

Millet wine!     

 

Look carefully: dried frogs on sticks to BBQ!! 

Snail salesman

Garlic picture for Ben! 

Fish stall (bamboo tied fish are still alive!)

We drove an hour south (I think), to a village with Kayah people. This area requires advance permission and a permit for tourists to visit as it has only recently been opened to visitors.
We had a local village guide as well as Phillips, and spent a delightful few hours visiting three homes; a newly built house, Jess trying on the colourful ladies’ attire, weaving and music.

Family breakfast - note ‘leggings’ on old lady; worn from young age. 

View from upper floor of new house ; totem poles for festivals

Pounding chilli & garlic to go into a pork ‘stew’

Kayah women have traditionally worn distinctive rings made from lacquered cotton chord around their legs. The first rings are tied below the knees of girls at the age of five. More chords are added as they grow older, reaching 12-15cm width and up to 2kg!  The rings are adjusted daily but never removed. The custom is thankfully dying as it’s cruel, and clearly see misshapen legs! 

   

Traditional dress, with knee chords and large lobe earrings

Hand weaving with a ‘back-loom’

Spinning cotton thread 

Lime onto betel leaf, then sliced betel nut; pop into mouth and chew away!

After a mediocre lunch back on the main road, we drove another hour up to Panpet village, with the eerie long-neck Padaung women.  Confusingly, Padaung are a sub-set of Kayahs. There are nine different ethic sub-groups making up Kayah of which Kayah is largest, and Padaung is another.

Slightly embarrassing as we discovered that the first lady we visited wasn’t in as she was at her uncle’s funeral in the village. Phillips seemed unperturbed by this, and soon found some other houses to pop into!

These incredible adornments are worn by the women for life, starting at approximately 6 years and added every 2 years to extend the neck. In some cases, they also wear leg rings. Some of the eldest  ladies ‘jewellery’ can weigh up to 10kg in total! However, the practise is dying out as the younger generation understandably refuse to place rings on their daughters – so this will probably only still exist for the tourist trade.  We were lucky having Phillips, as he was able to take us into some of the houses to meet a few of the elderly ladies with full adornment.

Elegant 78 year old - whose daughter (cooking pic above) is 65.

As well as the bizarre neck attire, it was incredibly humbling to sit in their tiny but neat homes, and  have a simple conversation about their families, with Phillips translating of course. One smoky room, meagre food drying above the perpetual fires, and a bed in a corner.

Lady above’s one-room house

The last lady we saw (actually in a different village) was 94! Phillips was really keen for us to see this lady as she was the only one with a full set of neck and leg rings.  Her family were welcoming, and the little old lady was bright and seemingly happy to see us, even singing Jess a blessing!

And this is what happens when Phillips the guide gets out biscuits to distribute....

We headed back to Loikaw via Phillips’ village Danangookwee where 1,000 people were attending the ordination of a new priest (Kayah state is 50% Catholic), and we met his wife and young son.

Kids in their “Sunday best”

Phillips took us into the adjoining field where the preparations were completed ready to feed everyone at tonight’s huge party: 1 water buffalo, 1 cow and 7 pigs!! Almost enough to put us off our supper back at the Lodge!

**SQUEAMISH ALERT**
DON’T SCROLL DOWN IF READING THIS WHILST EATING!

Taking the hair off with a blow torch! 

I did warn you Mum...



Sun 25 Feb
We drove about 45 mins out of Loikaw, and then walked 5km through arid, hilly countryside to reach the Lisu village of Aihsan.

Arriving at Aihsan village

We visited three homes and had an amusing break in the village shop, with the lady producing the intricate colourful attire for Jess to try and of course buy – except luckily too small!

Chewing betel nut gives a ghoulish appearance!

Phillips explained that there were very few menfolk in the village; many had died in past skirmishes – or were out in the hills tending the poppies. The last little old lady we chatted too was the most humbling; 64 years old, friendly and had a beautiful laugh – despite her husband dying many years ago, minimal support from her surviving children, and one daughter in Loikaw prison for the last 3 years for using and selling heroin.

There were a couple of new houses being constructed, where we were shown the splitting of bamboo to make to roof coverings and walls.

Shorter 3km walk back downhill in the stifling heat to the car. Lunch at a very popular waterfall where the teenagers all swim fully clothed, and wash their hair!

Giant “Holy Tree” back down hill where car parked.

Then onto some limestone caves, which luckily had a power cut so we didn’t explore the full 300m with Phillips’ phone torch… and some impressive bee hives clinging to the cliff face

Wild bees nest!

We had a sunset “Myanmar” beer and game of Scrabble on the terrace outside our room, and a second delicious dinner at Loikaw Lodge.  The next morning we would grab a flight to Yangon, and begin our journey back to Britain!