After our wilderness adventure at the Mae Taeng Elephant Park, we come to 7 Tribes Village to see the, well, the 7 tribes (duh).
Waterfalls
We learn about the lives, customs and traditions of the different hill tribes, namely the Mong, Leesaw, Mian, Akha, Palong, Ekaw, and my favorite of all – Pa-Daung or the Long Neck Karen.
This is a pretty Leesaw whose native land is the northwest of Yunnan County. The “Leesu” as they call themselves have settled down in Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.
Jin and Sam Leesu
And then there are the Long Neck Karens. (Yes, I am so engrossed in their abnormally long necks I forget to take photos of other tribe peoples. Sorry.)
Pa-Daung or Long Neck Karen call themselves “Laekur” and their native land is the Kaya State of Eastern Burma. They love wearing brass rings around their necks, arms and calves.
Their main livelihood: Shawl-ing. Check out the ear hOle.
Spinning
Help a Long Neck, buy a shawl.
Starting them young
This is a traditional tribal home
Walls are made from split bamboo
That’s Sam playing a Long Neck Karen’s wooden guitar
And that’s me playing a Long Neck Karen
P.S. That brass neckpiece is EXTREMELY heavy!!!
7 Tribes Village: Wang Num Yad Resort, 4/2 Village No. 2, Kuet Chang Sub-district, Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Tel: 083-1540896
