on visiting a Kayan Lahwi Village part 2 of 2

The Tiger Temple I managed to skip, but a two-hour hike to visit a long-neck Kayan Lahwi village proved too irresistible.

The Kayan Lahwi are a hill people who live in northern Thailand. Kayan woman wear brass neck rings to give the effect of an elongated neck. Contrary to popular notions, the neck is not actually stretched. Rather, the weight of the brass rings push the collar bone down and compress the rib cage giving the appearance of a longer neck. Girls as young as four or five years old start of with several rings and then gradually increase the number of rings every year.

On the spectrum of female body modification, neck elongation may not be as debilitating as foot-binding, but it certainly subjugates women more than ear piercing.

While making my way through the village buying some of their handicraft, I realized that I was contributing to the perpetuation of yet another generation of women feeling the pressure to subject themselves to this form of body malformation.

Obviously, in Kayan Lahwi villages, the women in neck rings are the big draw. There are other villages nearby in which the women do not wear the body-altering neck rings and I am sure that these villages sell a fraction of the wares that the Kayan women do. On some level, the men and women of the village have got to know that the neck modification attracts the tourists which equates to better sales. If the next generation of girls took a pass on neck elongation, it would have a direct impact on the long-term financial well-being of the village.

By being there and buying my souvenirs, I was reinforcing that system.

I get that.

Even when the results aren’t as dramatic as women with layer after layer of brass rings around their necks, the same principle applies in every country we visit in Southeast Asia. When we travel in these third-world countries, we are engaging and participating in systems that are not equitable.

A part of me thinks it would be better to stay home.

But staying home is not the solution either. In fact, that’s even worse. While not ideal, my tourist dollars are at least doing some short-term good.

Years ago, I was having a discussion with a friend of mine about the challenges of living in an imperfect world. Lamenting the fact that he has to daily make lifestyle choices that were contrary to his core principles, he conceded “I live in a world not of my creation.”

Visit the village. Don’t visit the village. There is no perfect answer here. I live in a world not of my creation.

I realize that buying that wooden figurine today, might help put food on the table tonight, while at the same time contributing to the long-term perpetuation of an unjust system.

I get that.

I guess the key is to make sure that buying the wooden figurine from the nine year-old girl with the six inches worth of neck rings is not the extent of my engagement. I have to make sure that I partner with organizations that address the long-term challenges of these and other people groups.

I do.

I bring my camera up to my eye to take a picture of a young woman on the other side of the dirt lane. I am astounded, astonished, mesmerized, sadden, and taken aback by the beauty of what I see through the lens of my camera.

I hesitate ever so briefly . . . and then I push the button.

In my heart, I thank her.

In my heart, I also apologize for reducing her to a photo op.

I slip my camera back into my bag and go look for my two daughters.

-Jack