Anthony
After the release of shutting down the popular tourist visit destinations during this global pandemic, Kayan long neck businesswomen also closed up their tourist visit souvenir shops.
As tourist destinations, there are two souvenir shops of Kayan long neck women at Pan Ped Village-tract, Deemawso Township, and at Daw San Bong Village, Loikaw.
Daw Mu Plar, aged 56, from Pan Ped-Law Kone Village said they have performed their traditions at other states since people from other regions are interested in it.
The strange Kayan Long Neck women, decorating their neck, calf, and wrist with rings, are the tribe attractive to most of the domestic and foreign tourists.
“I have quite many experiences; I often travelled to Yangon, Nay Pyi Daw, and Madalay. When arrived there, we performed our traditional songs and Yat Kan Yat (Weaving) Dance where the people to observe. The companies often came and invited us. They asked us to play flute. They came and picked us up and then sent back by car.
While some run it as local business, some even travel abroad and perform their traditions at foreign countries, and now most of those travelers are returning home.
The Advocate Speaker of Kayan Literacy and Culture Center Committee U Kyaw Than said those people may migrate and work at foreign countries because of the political turmoil.
U Kyaw Than shared his view point that “This condition is, in the past… how to call it.. this maybe kind of showroom business, and they travelled from illegal route to Thailand without any help from any organizations. Legally it might not be only Kayan tribe doing like this. And, it might also be the reason they travelled there struggling for living since Kayah State is not peaceful in the past. I heard, however, some of those migrants are returning little by little.”
Those Kayan long neck women are Kayan Lahwi tribe, one of the Kayan tribes.