One of the thatched-roof buildings at a Karen hill tribe village in Mae Sa Valley, northern Thailand

Karen women, Mae Sa Valley

Yellow Lahu woman, Mae Sa Valley

Gardener amid his lush surroundings in a hill tribe village in Mae Sa Valley

Hill tribe village, Mae Sa Valley. The rice field awaits the rainy season for a new planting.

The so-called “longneck” women belong to the Paduang subgroup of the Karen hill tribe. Both the origin and purpose of the brass neck coils are obscure. Many now consider the practice to be grossly exploitative, perpetuated for commercial purposes only. Some Paduang girls and women have stopped wearing the coils. Others seem to see them as emblems of both cultural identity and beauty, though some of the girls would clearly seem to be too young to be making such decisions (as can be seen in the Young Folks 2 gallery).

Paduang woman, Mae Sa Valley

Another view of the village

Paduang woman, Mae Sa Valley

Paduang woman, Mae Sa Valley, with loom

Another Paduang woman working her loom

Another view in the Mae Sa Valley hill tribe village

Paduang women and children enjoying a snack, Mae Sa Valley

Hill tribe gardeners, Mae Sa Valley

Paduang woman, Mae Sa Valley

Paduang woman, Mae Sa Valley

Paduang woman, Mae Sa Valley. The coils are worn on arms and legs as well as around the neck.

This Karen woman in beautifully patterned and colorful traditional woven tunic and skirt greeted me at her home with this lovely smile and warm welcome. Karen houses, like those of other hill tribes, are rudimentary structures made from bamboo, with thatched roofs. Unlike those of some other groups, such as the Hmong, their houses are raised above the ground on stilts.

There are two major groups within the Karen hill tribe: the Skaw (or Sgaw) and the Por (or Pwo). Karen women have a well-deserved reputation as highly accomplished and skillful weavers. Here, two Skaw women work on backstrap looms, the traditional method of weaving used by the Karen.

Karen Skaw woman embroidering a piece of clothing

Karen Por woman at her backstrap loom

Karen woman stringing seeds to be used for clothing decoration

Yellow Lahu man playing a musical instrument

Yellow Lahu woman, Mae Sa Valley

Yellow Lahu woman, Mae Sa Valley

Yellow Lahu gent with musical instrument